


Bonded

by Ghostwriter87



Category: Chicago Fire, Chicago PD
Genre: F/M, Werewolves, packmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 18:24:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 31,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13323891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostwriter87/pseuds/Ghostwriter87
Summary: He had sworn to never submit to another Alpha. She had sworn absolute fealty to hers. Can they learn to love and trust without losing themselves?





	1. Wolf Lives

BONDED

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

This is a werewolf AU of Chicago Fire, Med, and PD. All familiar characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own the plot. Uses charries from multiple seasons. This was originally posted on Fanfiction.net and I thought I'd use it as my introductory fic. Hope you guys like it.

Kelly blew out a breath as he traipsed into the firehouse, station Fifty-One. It had been another hard one and they had lost a couple of people in the fire. That always hurt. He **hated** it when they lost people and unfortunately, that had happened more than once. As he headed for the common room, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Matt head over to one of their paramedics, Gabby, and she wrapped him in a hug. Kelly couldn’t help the smile that crossed his features. The two of them had created their own pack a few months back, bonding themselves to each other and swearing to protect each other no matter what. That didn’t mean that the packs they had been in previously wouldn’t stand by them, but they were expected to stand on their own two feet when it came to certain matters. And they were good for each other, gave each other someone to lean on. A part of him wished that he had what they did. He missed being part of a pack. Seeing their lieutenant stare at them, Shay nudged him.

“Hey. You could have something like that if you’d actually **choose** a pack,” she stated.

“I won’t submit to an Alpha, Shay. You know that,” he answered and she made a face.

“Okay I know I’m only the liaison between wolves and humans which means I’m not privy to the nuances of the bonding and submitting rituals, but from what you told me, he was the exception, not the rule,” she answered.

“Regardless, it’s not happening,” he stated. “I’m not taking that chance,” he answered.

“Okay,” she agreed, suppressing a sigh. She knew that there was no arguing with him when he got like this. Not that she could blame him with everything that he had been through in the last pack he had been in. They had treated him horribly and now the man was completely gun-shy when it came to joining packs. Still, it didn’t mean that she didn’t wish that there was something that she could do to convince him to change his mind. She just wanted him to be happy. Was that so wrong? Still, she knew she couldn’t push it. And she wouldn’t. It wasn’t like she could say that she knew what he had gone through or that it wouldn’t happen again. For all they knew, it could happen again, which was **exactly** why Kelly refused to join a pack. But she also knew that as much as he tried to pretend otherwise, he wasn’t happy. And she wanted him to be happy. Hopefully, he’d have that soon and she wouldn’t have to watch him moping around so much. Kelly glanced at Matt and Gabby again and then went into his office, shutting the door behind him. He then sat in the chair behind his desk and let out a heavy sigh. He knew Shay was right, it **would** be better for him to join a new pack then staying a Loner. But he couldn’t take the chance of things turning out like they had with Pridgen. He had snapped from his old Alpha for a good reason and he wasn’t going to put himself in that position ever again. And besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t have any bonds with other werewolves. Every wolf in this house shared a connection and since he hadn’t isolated himself from other wolves, there was no fear of him going Feral, which was the real reason that Kelly suspected that he hadn’t gotten a chewing out from any of the head Alphas in the city. He hadn’t caused a problem for them so they didn’t care what he did or didn’t do. And that was just fine with him. He didn’t need anyone sticking their nose into his business. He didn’t need a pack. Did he sometimes want to be part of one? Sure. But he didn’t **need** one. Pushing these thoughts away, Kelly pulled out the incident report and began filling it out.

Meanwhile, Erin and her partner Jay were chasing two guys---Dylan Walsh and Frank Gaffney---down a Chicago street, with Jay giving their location via dispatch. **Damn, why don’t we just overtake them? We both know we can** , Jay wondered. **Because it’s Hank rule that we don’t use our advantage against humans except in extreme cases** , Erin replied. **Right. Forgot** , Jay said quietly, causing the female detective to grin. Like hell he had forgotten. He just didn’t like doing things slowly. As if knowing what she was thinking, Jay grinned at her. Yeah, he liked the action. What could he say? It stemmed from his time in the Army Rangers. But Hank Voight was Alpha and he’d do as he said.

“Stop! CPD!” Erin shouted again. However, the two men just kept running. _Ugh! This is annoying_ , she thought to herself. She was almost tempted to just use her wolf speed and catch up to them. However, she knew that if she did that when there was another way, Hank would get upset. And the last thing she wanted to do was to upset the man, who was not only her Alpha, but basically a father. So yeah, she was doing this his way. And right now, his way included chasing after two mangy humans as if she couldn’t actually catch them. _Ugh! This sucks!_ she thought to herself. She could hardly wait until they caught these guys. Once they did that, they could get information from them about the drug ring that had just come to town. Hank wanted to nip this problem in the bud and so did she. She knew how bad drugs got for everyone---including wolves. Maybe especially for wolves. Okay, she was getting distracted. She needed to focus on getting these guys. But damn, she was tired of chasing them like she was just another human. Hearing quick footsteps approaching, she smiled. It was Antonio. He was coming back around to help catch the suspects. It looked like Hank’s idea was working. The two guys would be caught and then they could work on getting a lead. The suspects quickened their pace, only to have their escape blocked off.

“Going somewhere?” Antonio queried and the two guys just let out a sigh and put up their hands, allowing Antonio and Erin to cuff them before they were lead to the police cruisers and put in them. As Erin drove back to the station, Jay leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes as a small smile graced his lips. They had gotten them. That was one part of the plan that was through. Now they just needed to get information from these guys. And if anyone could do it, it was this team. Especially Voight. Voight. He still couldn’t believe that joining him and his pack had been so easy. Hank Voight could be a scary bastard at times, but he cared about his pack and took care of them, often shielding them from anything that could harm them. All in all, he was a good Alpha.

“Whatcha thinking?” Erin queried. **That I can’t believe joining you guys was so easy** , Jay replied. **You thought it’d be hard?** she asked. **With his rep, yeah**. At this, Erin nodded. Yeah, she could understand where Jay was coming from. Noting the look between the two officers, Dylan and Frank looked at each other uneasily. What was **that** all about? Their arresting officers hadn’t said anything, but they had gotten the feeling that they had just had a silent conversation. It was weird. Oh well. It wasn’t like it was any of their business. No, their business was keeping their mouths shut so that their boss wasn’t implicated in anything. Not that they would purposely say anything, but they had heard that certain cops could make anyone talk about anything and everything with just one look and they had no idea if these were two of those type of cop, though it certainly appeared that they were. And that was bad. They didn’t want to be in the same room as weird cops that could make them talk in any way they wanted. However, they were soon at the precinct and they were put in two different interrogation rooms, much to their dismay. _Great. Now what?_ Dylan wondered. He didn’t want to be here. But at least these guys didn’t have anything to hold him on. If he just kept his mouth shut, he’d be fine. In the other room, Frank’s eyes flashed angrily. He couldn’t believe he had been brought in like this! He had been promised that this drop would be simple and low risk. Instead, he and Dylan had been nabbed by the cops. Terrific. He didn’t need this crap, but he also didn’t know what he could do to get himself out this. Wait a minute. Cops made deals all the time. That’s all he had to do: offer a deal and give up the guy that had hired them. Not that he had any idea if they would believe him, but it was worth a shot. And yes, he knew that there was a chance that he wouldn’t be believed because of the guy’s occupation, but he was just going to go with it. His reverie was broken when the door to the interrogation room opened and he saw an officer that he recognized---Sergeant Hank Voight. A man you didn’t want to screw around with. Surely he would welcome the information. But of course he would have to play his cards right so that he got a good deal.

“What can you tell me about the new drugs that have hit the streets?” Voight queried. _Hope he doesn’t jerk me around_ , he thought to himself. It had taken them two months to get the lead with Dylan and Frank, and he was hoping that it wouldn’t be another dead end. Someone was selling drugs in his city and he wanted them gone. They didn’t need this crap around and he’d be damned if he’d let it stay.

“Well, I don’t know who he is personally, but I’ve heard about him,” Frank responded. Okay, so he was lying, but the cop didn’t know that.

“Go on,” Voight encouraged.

“First you grant me immunity and then we’ll talk,” he countered. Okay yes, he knew it was practically suicide to jerk Hank Voight around, but if he was going to be giving this man up, he wanted some insurance. After all, no one got something for nothing. Not even the mighty Hank Voight. To his surprise, the man leaned over and grabbed his shirt, pulling him close to him.

“No see, you got it wrong. I don’t do deals. You either give me what I want right off the bat or I take you down to the Cage where I beat it out of you,” he growled, causing the boy in front of him to gulp at the sudden tinge of brilliant gold in the man’s eyes. _Oh, great. He’s one of them_ , he thought to himself. Yeah, okay, he wasn’t going to screw around anymore.

“It’s a firefighter. He works at Austin House…I think,” he said quickly. He didn’t want to die at this guy’s hands and figured that if he just came clean, he’d have a better chance of survival. Hearing this, Hank’s eyes flashed even more and he had to hold back a snarl. A firefighter. Terrific. That’s just what they needed: a firefighter dealing drugs. He would never understand how they could wreck their lives and careers for that crap, but then again, he never understood why anyone would it in the first place. Still scowling, the police sergeant took out a piece of paper and a pen and thrust it at Frank.

“Write. Everything you know about this. Players, places of business… **everything** ,” he barked and the boy quickly went to do as he was told.

Back at Firehouse 51, the alarm had gone off again, dispatch telling them about a structural fire, and the firefighters ran off. At the scene, Matt and Kelly assessed the situation and then went in, some of the others close behind them.

“Fire department! Call out!” Kelly shouted as he went deeper into the building, his ears pricked to pick up anything. Hearing a child’s cry, he immediately headed towards it and found the little girl a short time later. Without even thinking, he went over to her, scooped her up in his arms, and headed back out. Seeing the firefighter coming, Gabby and Shay got the backboard ready and gently placed her on it, strapping her down as they loaded her into the ambulance. Afterwards, everyone headed got into their respective vehicles and headed back to the fire station, where Kelly headed back to his office, where he sat in his seat and immediately started on the incident report. Yeah, he could’ve waited, but he had always liked to write them up as soon as possible so that he didn’t forget details. And besides that, you were **supposed** to do incident reports as soon as possible. When he was done a few minutes later, he leaned back in his seat and let out a sigh. He was glad his shift was almost over. He just wanted to go home and crash. Yes, he was a werewolf, which meant that his stamina was higher, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t get tired. And he was tired. Can hardly wait to get home, he thought to himself. Bed was sounding so good right now. But he’d have to wait for his shift to end. Once that happened, he could go home. And thankfully, it was almost done. He then forced these thoughts aside and looked at the clock. A few more minutes. It’d be a few more minutes. He just had to hold out until then. He could do that.

When his shift was finally over, he went to the locker rooms where he changed into civilian clothes and then went to the parking lot, where he got in his black Camaro and then drove off, arriving at his apartment complex a few minutes later. He got out of the car and headed in. _I should apologize to Shay. I shouldn’t have been so short with her_ , he thought to himself. She had just been trying to be a good friend and didn’t deserve to have him acting all rude to her. He pulled out his phone and began dialing her number. Suddenly, he caught sight of someone coming at him and he turned only to be met with a fist in the face. Before he knew what was happening, a small group of people were punching and kicking him. The Squad Lieutenant growled and allowed his eyes to shine a brilliant gold as he launched himself at one of his attackers. The man did the same and grabbed Kelly, tossing him over his shoulders and positioned himself so that he was straddling the firefighter almost as soon as he was on the ground. Kelly struggled against the hold, but the man’s buddies held the lone wolf down as he snarled out a warning. Then, he let out a howl of pain as the man bit into his neck, sinking his fangs deep into the skin, drawing blood before pulling away.

“Pridgen says ‘Hello’,” the man smirked before punching him again. Then, he got up and they all ran off. Kelly moaned. _Son of a bitch_ , he thought to himself. He should’ve known that Pridgen would send his lackeys to do something like this. Biting was his favorite punishment. Well, next to completely taking over a wolf’s mind and making them do whatever he wanted. Which had been the main reason he had snapped from him as the severed connection would make this harder for the man to do, though not impossible. Pushing this thought away, he headed inside, dropping to his knees as a sharp, piercing pain coursed through him. _Wolfsbane. But how?_ he wondered. If any of his attackers had ingested it or had it on their person, they would’ve been infected and in excruciating pain. Okay, the how didn’t matter at the moment. What mattered was getting help. And he **did** need help. Summoning as much strength as he could, he climbed to his feet and headed for the door, stumbling. However, he had only made it a few feet before he collapsed as the room start to spin. _This is bad_ , he thought to himself. Then, he closed his eyes and succumbed to the coming darkness.


	2. Keeping SIlent

The first thing Kelly was aware of was a beeping noise.  _What is that?_ he wondered, as his eyes fluttered open.  It was annoying and he wanted it to go away.

“Well, look who’s back,” a female voice said, her tone raspy.  Confused, he turned towards the voice and to his surprise, a woman with dark hair dressed in a shirt and blue jeans was sitting in the chair next to the bed.

“Who..?” he began to ask and then trailed off when he saw the badge.  Cop.  Someone had called the cops.  And from the smell of it, she was like him.  _Should I tell her what happened?_ he thought.  No!  It was between him and Pridgen’s pack.  He would have to take care of it himself.

“I’m Detective Lindsay. You want to tell me why you were attacked?” she queried.

“I have no idea.  They came out of nowhere and I didn’t get a good look at them,” he answered.  Hopefully, she’d buy that, even though he got a feeling that she wouldn’t.   The woman nodded, though as he thought, she didn’t look very convinced.  But what was he supposed to do about that?  Not a damn thing.  _What isn’t this guy telling me?_ the female officer wondered, looking at the man.  It was obvious that he was hiding something, but she didn’t know what.  And that was driving her nuts.  She didn’t like not having all of the facts.

“Well the good news is that the wolfsbane passed out of your system fairly quickly,” the woman told him and he nodded.  That **was** good news, especially considering the fact that the wolfsbane had just made him pass out.  But he couldn’t tell her the reason he had been bitten.  It was between him and Pridgen.  There was no need to involve the cops. At least, not in his mind.  But how was he going to sell this in a way that she’d believe?  He needed to come up with something.  Erin stared at the guy with narrowed eyes.  What was he holding back?  And **why** was he holding it back?  Was someone messing with his head or something?  _Not a very pleasant concept_ , she thought to herself.  _What is he scared of?_ she wondered.   It wasn’t making sense. Kelly’s eyes flickered.  What was she thinking?  Surely she was done with her questions.  It wasn’t like he could tell her much.  But maybe she thought that he could.  He just didn’t know.  

“So when can I get out of here?” he questioned.

“I don’t know.  You’d have to ask a doctor when he comes in,” she replied and he nodded.  He had figured as much, but he had been hoping that she would say otherwise.   _What’s his hurry?_   Erin wondered.  Okay, granted most wolves didn’t like being cooped up, but still, it was weird.  A knock at the door broke her reverie and she turned to see a couple around the patient’s age.

“Hey, you up for visitors?” the man asked.

“Hey Scott.  For you and April?  **Always** ,” came the response as he started to sit up.  Erin bit back a sigh.  It was obvious that the conversation had been ended.

“I’ll be in touch,” Erin stated and then walked out.   Scott and April turned to him. 

“So what happened?” Scott queried.

“Welch, Spellman, and some other guy jumped me.  Spellman bit me.  His fangs were laced with wolfsbane,” Kelly replied.

“What?!” April exclaimed.  _That’s not good_ , she thought to herself.

“But wouldn’t it have affected him too?” Scott asked.

“You’d think.  But Spellman’s always been kind of out there,” Kelly responded.  _That’s true_ , Scott thought to himself.  He wasn’t sure why, but Harold Spellman had always been a little weird and if he had been laced with wolfsbane, he probably didn’t pay any attention to the pain.  Yes, he was that crazy.  Kelly blew out a breath.  He wasn’t sure what to say.  Not that there was a lot to say anyway.  After all, he had no physical proof that Pridgen had ordered them to come after him.  Yes Spellman had admitted it, but it was a basic he said this and he said that situation, which meant that he would have to take care of it himself.  April’s eyes flickered.  _Wish there was something I could say_ , she thought to herself.  However, she knew that there wasn’t anything that she **could** say.  She, Scott, and Kelly had snapped from Pridgen and his pack for a reason.  And now Kelly was in the hospital because of his pack.   And she wasn’t quite sure what to do.  Well, at least he was okay, that was all that mattered.

“What do you want us to do?” Scott asked.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Kelly replied.  “Pridgen’s pissed at **me** and I need to keep my mouth shut,” he responded, causing Scott and April to look at each other worriedly.  **It sounds like he’s giving up** , she said silently.  **I know, but we won’t let him** , he replied and she nodded.  Damn right they wouldn’t let Kelly give up.  Before they could say more, a doctor walked into the room.

“How are you feeling?” the man asked Kelly.

“Better,” he responded.  “When can I leave?” he queried.  The wolfsbane was out of his system and all he wanted to do was go home.

“Mr. Severide, you have bite marks on your neck, indicating an attack.  I’d like to keep you overnight to rule out infection or rabies,” the doctor.

“I feel fine,” Kelly insisted.  _Crap.  I had to get a human doctor_ _who has no knowledge of the Supernatural_ , he thought to himself.  While he would usually have no problem with that, right now, it was just causing problems for him.

“Doc, he’s awake, alert, he’s fine,” Scott protested.

“And I work here, so I can watch him for any signs of infection while he’s at home,” April added.

“I don’t know,” the doctor hesitated.  He knew that Dr. Sexton was excellent and extremely qualified to look after the man, but at the same time, he was positive that it was in the man’s best interest stay right where he was.

“Oh come on, Doc.  Like Dr. Sexton said, she can take care of me,” Kelly wheedled.

“You’ll watch him, check for any signs of infection?”

“Yes.”

“And if he takes a turn for the worse?”

“I’ll bring him back here and you can say “I told you so”. 

“All right.  I’ll go get the AMA forms.”  Kelly watched with a grin as the man left.

“April, thanks,” he said.

“No problem,” she replied.  Back at the twenty-first, Erin was telling Hank what had transpired between her and Kelly.

“I’m telling you, there’s something weird going on,” she stated.

“And unless I miss my guess, Pat Pridgen is behind it,” Hank mused.  _This is bad_ , he thought to himself.  Pridgen was a snake who had a tendency to torture any wolf that left or attempted to leave his pack.  Not that he or any other head Alpha had been able to prove it, but his gut told him that Pridgen was one to be watched.  And he **would** watch the guy.  There was something about him that rubbed him the wrong way, though he couldn’t put his finger on what.  _There’s gotta be something I’m missing_ , he thought to himself.  But what?  What was he missing?  There was something and he didn’t like it.  He needed to figure things out.  But how did he do the recon he needed to do without Pridgen getting suspicious?  Did he make it an official case or have someone from the district do an unofficial investigation?

“You want me and Jay to look into it deeper?” Erin questioned.

“You mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Then we’re on it.”

“It’s appreciated.”  Hank smiled at the woman gratefully.  Once again, she had pretty much read his mind, which of course came from the fact that they had known each other for a long time.  Erin gave Hank a curt nod and then headed out, grabbing Jay as she went out the door.  Hell, the attack was already a case, so her looking into things now could be considered working overtime.  Not that she minded.  After all, if wolves were attacking each other, it had to be stopped before there was an all-out turf war.  A turf war was the last thing any of them needed. 

“He wants us to look into it?”

“Yup.” Jay’s eyes clouded.  If this was a pack versus pack sort of deal, things could get ugly real fast and he didn’t want to have to deal with that crap, thank you very much.  Of course, that didn’t mean that he **wouldn** ’ **t** if he had to.  He just preferred not to have to.  While all of this was going on, Patrick Pridgen was in his office, scowling at the three men that he had sent after Kelly.

“You failed. Kelly is still alive,” he accused, his eyes flashing a deep golden hue that betrayed his anger and displeasure.  _They had one mission!  Kill the son of a bitch!_ he thought to himself in frustration.

“But he got the message,” Harold Spellman interjected.

“Yeah.  And besides, we can still track him,” Thomas Welch reminded.

“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” Pridgen mused.  Kelly may have turned himself into a Loner, but he would still be able to get inside his head and see where he was. 

“And as soon as we kill him we’ll dump the body and no one will be the wiser,” the third man---Rodney Briggs---stated.  And they probably wouldn’t even miss the guy.  He was just a Loner after all.  Hell, they’d probably thank them.  Everyone knew that Loners had the potential for turning Feral.  And that was the last thing anyone needed.  So yes, they were going to take care of Severide.  And once they did that, the Pack’s problems would be over.  And that’s what they needed---the problems to go away.  Pridgen nodded.  He liked what he was hearing.  Kelly had betrayed him and he wasn’t going to stand for insubordination.  And since he had survived been bitten, he would have to come up with something else.  He just had to figure out what.  But one thing was for sure: he wasn’t going to let the younger wolf get away with humiliating him by snapping from him.  No, he would pay for that.  _Guess I’ll have to pay him a visit_ , he thought to himself.  But he would have to do this with some finesse.  After all, he couldn’t just go in there half-cocked.  _Hmm…maybe I can play the concerned Alpha card_ , he mused.  Yes, that sounded good.  He’d wait a bit, find out where Kelly was staying and then pay him a visit, giving the appearance of being concerned even though he was no longer a member of his pack.  He’d just have to time it right.  Yeah, he could do that.  And then when the time was right, he’d attack.  He would wait until later tonight to pay Kelly a visit.  If he went too soon, people would get suspicious.  Okay good.  He had a plan now and he would be able to put it into motion.  And one way or another, Kelly would pay for his insubordination.  He would see to that.  Satisfied, the man leaned back in his seat.

“Dismissed,” he barked and immediately, Rodney, Harold, and Thomas left the office to go about their duties.  Pridgen’s eyes darkened.  Kelly was going to **pay** for turning against him.  He’d see to it.  And no one would even care if he did it as the man had removed himself from wolf society.  So really, he would just be finishing the job.  Yes, this was perfect.  He could hardly wait until Severide was taken care of.  Once that happened, he could move on with things, such as his firefighting duties.  The station’s alarm going off broke through his reverie and he listened to the dispatcher telling of an accident and he headed out with his men.  _Another day, another dollar_ , he thought to himself.  And there was nothing that he loved more than putting out fires and having people being grateful to him.  And why wouldn’t they be when he had saved their lives?  And of course he had his little…side business, but he would have to cool it with that as people were starting to get suspicious about things.  Plus, a couple of the people who worked for him had been arrested and he needed to decide what he was going to do with them.  Loose lips and all that.  but he would get that all squared away in due time.  Right now, he had to focus on this call.  Back at the twenty-first precinct, Hank blew out a breath.  He wasn’t really sure what to do here.  They had caught a break when they picked up those two guys this morning.  Well, sort of a break: they now knew that there was a firefighter involved in the drug ring, but he still didn’t have any idea of who or how to start looking.  _Wish Camille was still around.  She’d know what to say_ , he thought to himself.  However, he had lost his wife six years ago to ovarian cancer, so he couldn’t talk to her.  Maybe Alvin?  He had always been good in batting ideas around.  Yeah, that sounded good.  He could talk to him, get some ideas, and they figure out what to do.  And once they came up with a plan, they could execute it and put an end to this crap.  Plus there was also the wolf that had been attacked this morning: a Kelly Severide from Fire station Fifty-One.  What had that been about?  A pack thing?  Or was he part of the drug ring?  He’d have to talk to him, see if he was connected to the case in anyway.  While all this was going on, Scott and April had brought Kelly home and led him to his room, where he promptly undressed and climbed into the bed.  _I don’t like this_ , Scott thought to himself.  Kelly hadn’t said much on the way home and he had a bad feeling that he was withdrawing into himself.  And given the fact that he had said that he would have to keep his mouth shut, meant that he was letting Pridgen get to him.  He’d have to figure out how to convince him to come forward to one of the Elders about their former Alpha.  He wasn’t sure **how** he was going to do it, but he was determined to do it.  Pat Pridgen had gotten away with too much for too long and he wasn’t going to put up with it anymore…


	3. Information Gathering

Later that night, Pridgen was flipping through the channels on his television set when he noticed a news report.  He stopped and the channel and listened, his eyes darkening when the reporter stated that a firefighter had been attacked by animals and been taken to Chicago Med, a picture of Kelly flashing across the screen.  _So **that’s** where he is_ , he thought to himself.  He then turned off the television and headed out of the building, making sure to grab his phone, car keys, and wallet.  At the Twenty-First precinct, a young woman with black hair and brown eyes frowned thoughtfully as she gathered up her things as she got ready to leave the precinct for the night.  Something was nagging at her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.  She had heard the detectives talking about their newest case and how there might be a firefighter involved.  _Why does that sound familiar?_ she thought to herself.  Was she remembering something from before Voight had found her or was her mind just playing tricks on her?  Yeah, that sounded plausible.  She then pushed the thought from her mind and continued, not noticing when two detectives walked right past her.  Erin let out a deep sigh as she and Jay came back into the precinct.  _That was a bust_ , she thought to herself.  She and Jay hadn’t been able to get anything from anyone who lived in Kelly’s vicinity.  So that meant either no one had heard or seen anything or they were too scared to tell the truth.  And her money was on the latter reason.  And according to Frank, there was a reason to be afraid of this Pridgen guy.  Even though she was an Alpha herself, she didn’t really know all that much about him.  _Wish we had gotten something_ , she thought to herself.  _Something feels really off_ , Jay mused to himself.  Should he mention his feeling to Erin or Voight?  Would they be willing to listen?  He didn’t want to overstep any bounds.  He **was** just a Beta after all.  Okay, yeah, Voight didn’t really play pack power games like some Alphas did and wouldn’t mind him tossing out ideas, but at the same time, he didn’t want to cause any friction among the higher ups for a mere feeling.  _That settles it.  I’m waiting until we know something for sure_ , he decided.  It’d be best not to say something until he had evidence backing him up.  And if what they found out disproved his feeling, all the better.  So yeah, keeping quiet.  As if realizing her partner was deep in thought, Erin glanced at him.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah I’m good,” he responded.  “Just wish we had been able to find something out,” he added.  And that wasn’t even a lie.  He **did** wish that they had found something.  In his office, Hank frowned at Al who was staring at him stoically.

“Something’s on your mind.  What is it?” he queried.

“Dylan and Franks.  They’re humans, why use them?” he wondered.

“As you said, they’re humans.  Easy pawns,” he responded.  He was about to say more when there was a knock on his door.  “Enter!” he instructed.  Almost immediately the door was opened to reveal a young woman with black hair and brown eyes, wearing jeans and a t-shirt.  “Nadia, what can I do for you?” he queried.  _Still remember when I found her_ , he thought to himself.  She had been in a crack house all strung out, covered in bruises and bite marks, and being protected by a young wolf who had obviously been through a hell of a fight.  Who had done that to her, no one had a clue because she never talked about it.  Whether it was because she didn’t want to talk about it or because she didn’t remember, he wasn’t sure.  However, he wasn’t going to push her as it was the last thing he would **ever** want to do.

“I, uh, heard about the wolf that was attacked.  Is there, uh, is there anything I can do to help?” Nadia queried.  _I want to help.  I just don’t know how_ , she thought to herself.

“Yes.  You can look into a wolf named Patrick Pridgen,” Hank replied.  At this, Nadia nodded and went to a desk and booted up.  Once everything was set up, Hank quickly went into a file and opened it.  “That’ll give you all the clearance you need,” he told her.  He wasn’t sure, but something told him that time was of the essence and he didn’t want time to be wasted by her arguing with people who told her that she didn’t high enough clearance to look into wolf things.

“Thank you, Sergeant.”

“Of course.”  He gave her a small pat on the back and then went back to his office and blew out a breath as he sat down.  _I don’t like this_ , he thought to himself.  Things weren’t making sense.  Not that a wolf being attacked made sense anyways.    At her desk, Erin drummed her fingers on the table.  For some reason, she couldn’t get her mind off of the wolf she and Jay had visited in the hospital.  There was just something about him.  _Weird.  I don’t remember feeling this way when I first saw him_ , she mused to herself.  And yet, now, she couldn’t get her mind off of him.  What was up with that?  Was he attractive?  Absolutely, but so what?  There were a lot of guys that she had been physically attracted to, but usually, she would’ve taken notice right away.  _He looked pretty fit.  Wonder what it’d be like to mate with him_ , she thought.  Whoa!  WHOA!  Where had **that** come from!?  She obviously needed more sleep.  If she had been getting enough sleep, she probably wouldn’t be having this delayed attraction to a wolf that she didn’t even know.  Plus, mating season was approaching and her body had **always** reacted a bit strangely.  Mating season.  That was it.  Her body had just kicked into gear and she was worried about Severide because of the attack.  That made sense.  Once she mated with someone, her hormones would calm down and everything would go back to normal.  At his place, Kelly laid on his bed, his eyes clouded.  _Don’t know what to do_ , he thought to himself.  Yeah, he could bring Pridgen’s actions to the Elders, but who would believe him?  He as a Loner who refused to join a pack, which meant that he had no clout.  But maybe he could tell a different wolf and **they** could tell an Elder.  Maybe a wolf like that detective that had taken his statement: Detective Lindsay.  Lindsay.  She **was** rather hot.  No!  He couldn’t think like that.  _Ugh.  Hate when I go into my mating cycle_ , he thought to himself.  His mating cycle was the one time of the year that him being a Loner really sucked.  He usually took care of that by going off to Vegas and hooking up with someone, but somehow, he got the feeling that this wouldn’t cut it this time around.  Okay, he would have to worry about that later.  Right now, he needed to focus on resting so that he could continue getting better.  The last thing he needed was for people getting suspicious about the attack.  Not that anyone **would** given the fact that he didn’t have any ties to a pack.  _This sucks_ , he thought to himself.  He then got up and went to the refrigerator to see if he wanted anything to eat, frowning a bit as he perused the contents.  Hearing this, Scott waited a bit.  _Wish he’d talk to us_ , he thought to himself.  He **hated** the fact that his friend had become convinced that being part of a pack was a bad thing.  Not that he couldn’t understand where he was coming from, but he still hated it.  He then sighed and turned over, pulling April close to him.  Pridgen pulled into Chicago Med’s parking lot and went to find himself a spot.  _Not surprised that they would take him to Chicago Med.  After all, there are wolves there_ , he thought to himself as he parked.  Then, adopting a look of concern, he rushed into the area and made a beeline for the information desk.

“Kelly Severide, where is he?” he questioned.  _Better not try to pull that ‘Family only’ crap with me.  Severide hasn’t talked to his old man in years and every wolf knows it_ , he thought to himself.  But the woman before him wasn’t a wolf, but a human, which meant that she probably **would** try to pull that on him.  Well if she **did** , he’d just have to show her why that wasn’t such a smart idea.

“I’m sorry, Sir.  He’s not here,” the desk nurse stated.

“What do you mean he’s not here?” Pridgen queried.  _Was I wrong?  Did they actually do their job?_ he thought.  Or maybe had succumbed to the injuries after the fact.  That was certainly plausible.  And if that was the case, all the better.

“Dr. Sexton signed him out and took him home,” the desk clerk responded, causing the man to scowl when he heard this.  April.  Of course.  He should’ve known.  _So she came to the Mutt’s rescue, did she?_ he mused.  Well, he couldn’t be all that surprised since the three of them had always stuck together.  Well then, he was just going to have to figure something else out.  With a huff, he walked out of the hospital and went to his car, getting in, starting the engine, and then driving off.  He was going to have to figure out something else.  A visit to one of their apartments, most likely Kelly as the man wasn’t the brightest of wolves and would most likely make his friends take him home.  _Yes, I can use this_ , he thought to himself.  He **loved** it when the Mutt made things easy for him.  With a smile, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed the first speed dial.

“Hello?” he heard Thomas ask a few moments later.

“Severide’s not in the hospital.”

“Dead?”

“No.  Signed out.  He’s most likely in one of two places: his home or theirs.  You and Spellman check out theirs and I’ll go to his.”

“Yes, Alpha.”  Pridgen’s lips curved into a terrible grin as the younger man hung up.  Yes, this would work out nicely.  At the Twenty-First, Nadia frowned as she stared at the information on the screen in front of her, trying to quell the bile that was threatening to rise.  Could an Alpha actually be so cruel to their own pack?  And if so, why hadn’t anything been done about it?  _I better get Voight_ , she thought to herself.  With that, she picked up the desk phone and called Voight’s extension.

“Voight,” he responded.

“Sergeant.  I think I found something that you should see,” she replied.

“Be right down,” he told her and then hung up, walking down to where she was.  “What is it?” he questioned and she gestured to the screen, causing the man’s lips to curve into a frown.  _What the hell?_ he thought.  Why hadn’t he and the other Alphas been made aware of an investigation into Pridgen?  Was a head Alpha in on whatever was going on?  _Not a good thought_ , he mused silently.  Okay, he couldn’t jump to conclusions.  There could be a perfectly good explanation for this.  What it was though, he had no idea.  That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to find out though.  And he **would**.  It couldn’t do to let something like this continue.  And he certainly wouldn’t.  _Okay, think_ , he thought to himself.  He had to figure this out.  He had to figure out how everything was connected, and the only way to do that would be to talk to the members of Pridgen’s pack, though there was no guarantee that they’d open up to him, especially if they were still loyal to him, like most of the pack seemed to be.  But there were a handful of wolves who had broken away from him, and he’d start with them.  _Guess I’ll talk to Keeler first_ , he thought to himself.  He didn’t have any more ties to the man and would most likely to give him something.  Well, at least he **hoped** so.  Okay, he had a plan.  With that, he headed out of the station.  _Hope he’ll talk to me_ , he thought to himself as he got into his car and drove off, heading away from Chicago and to a wooded area that was close by.  Once there, he parked the car, turning off the engine and then walked up to the woods, following the scent of the wolf that he was wanting to talk to.

“Vince?” he asked.  Hearing the soft snarl, he looked around.  He’d have to be careful here.  “Vince, it’s Hank Voight, I’m not going to hurt you,” he called.  _Come on, Keeler.  Work with me_ , he thought to himself.  The snarl came again and the man came out.

“These are **my** woods.  You’re not welcome,” Vince snapped.

“I just have a few questions for you.  About Patrick Pridgen,” Hank commented.  Almost as soon as the name was out of his mouth, Keeler jumped on Voight, punching him as the detective was knocked on his back.

“My mind is  mine!  My mind is mine!  You can’t have my mind!” he shouted, punching him, causing the older man to grunt in pain.  Voight then pushed him aside and got on top of him.

“Calm down, Keeler!” he barked, his eyes going a brilliant gold.  Seeing this, Keeler whimpered slightly and put his hands up in a placating manner.  “I’m not going to hurt you, but I need you to answer some questions,” he continued, his tone softening.

“My mind is mine.  My mind is mine,” Keeler repeated.

“A firefighter was recently attacked and bitten, poisoned with wolfsbane.  Would Pridgen do something like that?” Voight asked. 

“You want him to punish me.  Biting and wolfsbane is for punishing,” came the response.  _I guess that’s a yes_ , the Sergeant thought to himself.  Not that he would be able to use it in a court of law.  As far as the human world would be concerned, Keeler was mentally ill.  In the wolf world, however, this admission was perfectly acceptable.

“He won’t get away with what he’s been doing.  Thank you for your help,” he stated and walked away as Keeler headed back to his cave.  Pridgen was being looked into.  Pridgen wouldn’t be happy with that.  He didn’t want him coming after him.  Quiet.  He had to stay quiet.  Staying quiet was the only way to keep the man happy.  And that was what he was going to do.  He was going to stay quiet and make the man happy.   As he headed back to the precinct, Hank’s eyes clouded.  He wasn’t sure what to think.  Keeler hadn’t told him much, though the man had proven that he was on the right track in looking at Pridgen.  _All right, time to pay a visit to the other people who have snapped from him_ , he thought to himself.  And if he recalled right, one was Benny Severide’s kid, Kelly.  _Benny and I used to be tight back in the day.  I owe it to him to make sure that his kid’s okay_ , he thought to himself.  With that, he headed back to his car, pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialing a number.

“Hello?” heard his partner, Alvin Olinsky, ask a few moments later.

“Hey, it’s me.  Could you get me the address of Kelly Severide?”

“Yeah, of course.” 

“Thanks.”  Once he had the address, he ended the call, got into his car, and then headed out.  Hopefully, he’d be able to get something from Severide.  He wasn’t sure if he would, but as stated, he was hoping…


	4. Report And Visit

In the spare room he and April were lying in, Scott blew out a breath.  _Don’t like the fact that Kel’s giving up_ , he thought to himself. That wasn’t like him. That had  **never**  been like him. Then again, he was well aware of what Pridgen had put his friend through. Had this been the final straw that had broken the camel’s back? Had Pridgen succeeded in breaking Kelly? No! He couldn’t think like that! Kelly was strong. He could fight this. And he would make sure that he did. He didn’t want Kelly retreating into himself and going Omega.  _Sometimes I hate the fact that he’s a Rover_ , he thought to himself. Being a Rover allowed his friend to slip into any pack position and the only time he ever went into Omega mode was when he was feeling like crap about himself and had it in his head that he wasn’t good enough for anything. And if Pridgen had made him feel that way again, he was going rip the bastard’s heart out, Head Alpha or no. Was that smart? Probably not, but he didn’t really give a damn at this point. All he cared about was Kelly’s well-being. And he wasn’t going to let Kelly sink into a depression and risk him cutting off all ties with other wolves as he had a feeling that his connection with them was the one thing that was keeping his friend from going Feral. And he didn’t want to see that to him. It was bad enough that Pridgen had driven Vince Keeler to it; they didn’t need Kelly feeling that desperate as well. And he was going to do everything that he could to make sure that it didn’t come to that. April glanced at Scott.  **I know you’re worried. I am too** , she told him. Not that she blamed him. Kelly wasn’t acting like himself, which was disconcerting. What if he gave up on them and their connection? Sure they weren’t bonded to each other anymore in a pack sense, but they were still close and she didn’t want to lose that. She wanted him to stay the same cocky, arrogant, bull-headed wolf he always was. And if that meant she had to knock some sense into him, she would. Not that she would force him into anything that he wasn’t comfortable with. That was something she wouldn’t  **ever**  do. That was more of Pridgen’s kind of thing, and she would  **never**  imitate that bastard.  **I _am_** , her mate confirmed. He didn’t like the effect this was having on Kelly. He was retreating into himself, becoming quiet. That was never good. As teens, whenever Kelly had gone quiet, it meant that he was internalizing and sometimes it was damn hard to get him to open up. And Pridgen hadn’t helped matters one little bit. Almost unconsciously, his mind went back.  _Kelly whimpered and tried to make his black form as small as possible with his ears flattened against his head and his tail tucked between his legs as Pridgen stalked towards him, his black fur bristling with fury. The younger wolf immediately got onto his back, drawing his paws in, his whimpers increasing. Scott snarled out a warning as he went to intercept Pridgen. He wasn’t going to let the man hurt Kelly_   _again_.  _Pridgen let out a snarl of his own, snapping his jaws at the other wolf. He wasn’t going to let this insubordination stand. Not from Scott and sure as hell not from_   _Kelly. Scott continued undeterred and Pridgen lunged at him, knocking him on his back, his claws, digging into the other man’s sides. **You think you can challenge me just because you’re an Alpha? This is my pac**k! he barked.  **You’re a sadistic bastard and we’re not standing for this anymore** , Scott shot back, trying to keep the pain out of his mental voice. For a response, the older wolf merely swung his paw across Scott’s face and then shoved him aside. Almost instantly, he was knocked to the ground.  **Leave him alone!**  Kelly shouted, pinning the older wolf to the ground. With lightning speed, he twisted from underneath the younger wolf and quickly switched their positions, his eyes blazing a brilliant gold as he placed his paws on his chest.  **Submit** , he growled, his eyes flashing. Immediately, Kelly’s body became small as he went into the submission position. Pridgen’s expression curved into a leer. Now he’s right where he belongs. On his back, he thought to himself. He then nuzzled his snout into Kelly’s neck, his grip on the other wolf tightening as he began to trail his tongue downward. _Scott blinked at the small jab at his side.

“Where’d you go?” April queried softly. Not that she had to ask, really. No doubt he was remembering something Pridgen had done to them.

“Was remembering the night we left. What led up to it,” Scott confessed and his mate pulled him close, hugging him tightly.

“He can’t hurt us anymore. We snapped from him. He has no more control over us,” she reminded.

“Yeah, I know. But he can still hurt Kelly,” he responded, causing her to nod. He was right of course. Due to the fact that he hadn’t joined another pack, Kelly was still somewhat vulnerable to Pridgen. Almost as if by mentioning him, they had summoned him, Kelly walked into the room.

“You guys don’t have to stay. I’m fine,” he responded.

“Not going anywhere,” Scott and April chorused. While this was going on, a wolf had snuck out of Pridgen’s lair, shifted, and had trotted off.  **Elder Riddle?**  he called.  **Yes?**  he heard a moment later.  **Your suspicions about Pridgen were right** , he responded. Riddle nodded. He had figured as much. After all, four wolves didn’t just snap from one Alpha without just cause. No, there was something going on.  **Is that all?**  he asked the wolf and the liaison hesitated.  **No. I had to participate in an attack** , he finally replied and went on to tell the Elder what had happened.  **It wasn’t your fault. You know undercover assignments sometimes require that kind of participation. You did nothing wrong** , Riddle assured him. Not that it made that kind of thing easier of course. Wolves didn’t generally like attacking their own and besides that, there could be strict consequences for an unprovoked attack such as the one that Patrick Pridgen had apparently ordered. And there  **would**  be consequences. He and the other Elders just needed to know how far Pridgen was willing to take his actions as this would be the deciding factor in what to do with him.  **Yeah, but still…** the younger wolf said.  **I understand** , Riddle stated. Then, he backed out of the wolf's mind and turned to the other Elders.

“It’s just as we thought,” he reported.

"You're sure?" another Elder, Declan Borroughs, queried.

"Yes," he answered and relayed everything he had been told, causing the faces of his constituents to become thunderous.

“THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! WE SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS NOW!” Declan roared, his eyes shining a brilliant gold.

“But if we go in now we may not have enough evidence to take action,” a third Elder, Susan Jessup, reminded.  _Not that I can blame him for being pissed. **I’m**  pissed_, she thought to herself. Hearing this, Declan sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly, though the shine in his eyes didn’t dissipate.

“I know. You’re right,” he replied. All he wanted was for his community to be safe. Was that so much to ask?  _Maybe I’m getting too old for this_ , he thought to himself. He had been an Elder for a long time, even though a chosen Elder remained one until their death, maybe it was time for him to retire and appoint someone a bit younger. No. That was foolishness. He was doing just fine. It was just his natural protective instincts coming out in full force. It wasn’t easy being an Elder: having to make tough decisions like dealing with an out of control Alpha. And to be honest, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to put someone else through that. Therefore, it looked like he was staying in his position for a while longer. But maybe that was for the best. Okay, he couldn’t let his thoughts go in this direction. He had to focus on a strategy for dealing with Patrick Pridgen.  _He needs to know that his abuse of his pack won’t be tolerated_ , he mused. After that, if the wolves wanted to strike out on their own, he was in favor of letting them. They needed to know that they had a choice when it came to submitting fealty to a wolf. He had never been a fan of an Alpha forcing submission as it would often hurt the wolf that was being told to submit. That wasn’t to say that he wouldn’t ever be firm when giving a command, because he  **would**  be, he just knew that what Pridgen was accused of doing could potentially hurt morale among wolves. What no one knew, was that while all of this was going on, Keeler was in his cave, pacing. He had been found. This was bad. What was worse was that Pridgen was being investigated.  _My mind is mine, my mind is mine_ , he reminded himself. No one was allowed to be in his mind anymore. His mind belonged to him and to him alone. And now Patrick Pridgen was being investigated. This was bad. Very bad. No one was supposed to be investigating him. Repercussions could be bad. Very bad. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like this one little bit. He looked up at the sky and smiled as he noticed that it was starting to darken. Dark was good. The darkness kept him safe. The darkness kept people away. Darkness meant that he was safe. And that was all that mattered: that he stayed safe. He didn’t want to be hurt again. He was tired of being hurt. People always hurt him. It was better to be left alone. And yet, people had visited him today. What if Pridgen found out? Pridgen would hurt him. He was sure of it. At the Twenty-First, a cop glanced at the cell where Dylan and Frank were being held.

“Shouldn't they have been released a while ago?” he quietly asked his partner. The other officer shrugged.

“Yeah, but orders were to keep ‘em here. And you know this place: what Voight says, goes.” At this, the first officer nodded. His partner had a point. Sergeant Voight had a certain way of running the Twenty-First and while he didn’t get it, he certainly wouldn’t question it. Hey, he was just here to be a cop. He didn’t have a death wish. Nope. Meanwhile, Hank had reached Kelly’s place and walked up to the door and knocked. Hearing the sound and inhaling the smell that permeated through the door, Kelly’s eyes widened and before Scott and April could even blink, he had shifted and had run into his bedroom, squeezing himself under the bed, whimpering.  _Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Head Alpha. Head Alpha. Head Alpha. Gonna be hurt_ , he thought to himself.  _Damn. Never seen him move that fast_ , Scott mused. It if it wasn’t for the fact that his friend had just freaked out, Scott would’ve found the whole thing hilarious. With a sigh, he went to open the door to see who was there.

“Head Alpha Voight,” he commented, trying not to show his surprise.  _What’s he doing here?_  he wondered. They hadn’t done anything to garner attention from a head Alpha, he was sure of it.

“No need for formalities,” the other man responded.  _Wonder why Kelly got so agitated when I got here_ , he mused to himself, recalling the burst of fear that had filled the air a few moments ago. “Just came here to ask you a few questions,” he continued.

“Questions about what?” April queried.

“Patrick Pridgen. What kind of man was he?” Voight questioned.

“He was a bastard,” Scott spat out. “He had a thing for head games and he was constantly playing them,” he continued.

“And he likes to exert complete control over a wolf,” April added and Voight nodded, his eyes flickering as he took the information in. From his spot under the bed, Kelly shook as he listened to the Head Alpha conversing with Scott and April.  _What are they doing? Pridgen will find out! He **always**  finds out_, he thought to himself. And if he found out that Head Alphas were asking questions about him, he’d send Welch and the others to hurt him again. And the next time, they would most  **definitely**  kill him. He had been lucky when he had survived Spellman’s bite. He knew this. He wouldn’t get that lucky again, Pridgen would see to it.

“How many times has he done that to you?” Voight queried.

“Too many times to count. It’s usually when he wants to teach us a lesson. He’d take over so that we couldn’t fight back,” Scott answered, his voice turning bitter.  _Oh damn. What the hell?_  Voight wondered. If the Elders didn’t take care of this guy, he  **would**. Everyone knew that a pack was to be protected at all costs. And from what he was hearing, Pridgen hadn’t done that. He hadn't led his pack. He hadn’t made them safe. No, he had terrorized them, made them fear him. And speaking of fear, he could still smell it radiating from Benny’s boy.  _I think I need to talk to him_ , he mused.

“Thank you for trusting me with this,” Hank said softly. “Do you think Kelly would talk to me?” he queried.

“I don’t know. He’s pretty freaked,” Scott replied.  _Not that I can blame him_ , he thought to himself. Pridgen had done one hell of a number on him. “But you’re welcome to try. Just…tread softly,” he cautioned and the older wolf nodded. Then, he went to the bedroom that Kelly was in. Hearing the approaching footsteps, Kelly trembled. Even though the voices had been soft, he had heard everything Scott and Head Alpha Voight had said to one another.  _Why would Scott do this to me?_  he wondered. He was supposed to be his friend. On the other hand, Dad had been friends with him a long time ago. Maybe he would be okay. Maybe he wouldn’t be hurt. Hank stopped outside the door.

“Kelly, may I come in?” he asked and got a snuffle of agreement. He stepped inside the room and stayed right where he was, leaving the door opened. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just have some questions about Pridgen,” he told him and almost immediately, the low whines started and the fear that he had smelled upon entering the house increased.  _Holy shit. What did Pridgen do to him?_  he wondered. “Kelly, my team and I want to stop what he’s been doing to you and other wolves. You’re not the one in trouble here. Pridgen is,” he continued. Kelly continued to whine. Could he trust him?  _It’s been a while since I last saw the kid. Maybe he doesn’t remember me_ , Hank thought to himself. “Kelly, your dad and I were friends a long time ago. Do you remember me?” Kelly’s eyes flickered as he pondered the question. He  **did**  remember him, but what if this was a trick? What if he was in tight with Pridgen?  _Please, kid. Trust me. Just trying to get to the bottom of this_ , he thought to himself. Scott and April looked at each other worriedly. From the sounds coming from their friend, they could tell that he was scared, but they were hoping that Head Alpha Voight could get him to trust him.  _Trust him. Dad always said that even though they didn’t always see eye-to-eye, there was no one he trusted more_ , Kelly reminded himself and he slowly inched forward. Hank watched this, keeping silent as the younger wolf moved forward. He’d have to tread carefully here. He didn’t want to spook him. Kelly continued to inch forward and until he was out from under the bed. Once he was all the way out, he stared up at the man.  **What do you want to know?**  he asked. Hopefully, this wasn’t going to come back to bite him in the ass…


	5. Deciding To Trust

Hours later, Hank blew out a breath and leaned back, his mind reeling from what Kelly had told him.  _Son of a bitch. How the hell was he allowed to get away with this?_  he thought to himself. Forcing a submission, completely taking over a wolf’s mind, assaulting them, killing them if they tried to leave…how had this all been missed? Well, he wasn’t going to let it happen to any of them again. No, he’d protect them with everything that he had. Kelly’s wolf eyes flickered as he watched the officer who seemed to be deep in thought. Did he believe him? Or had he made a major mistake in trusting him? Maybe he was actually working with Pridgen. After all, he  **did**  look pissed. Feeling the stare, Hank looked to Kelly and immediately read the wolf’s expression.  **Don’t worry. I believe you** , he assured.  **And this won’t be tolerated. What Pridgen did to you---that’s not normal Alpha behavior** , he continued. Kelly nodded. _Okay, he believes me. Something’s going to be done_ , he thought to himself. At least…he  **hoped**  something would be done. Head Alpha Voight sounded sincere with what he was saying, so he was assuming that he was telling the truth. Okay, so he was taking a lot on faith here, given the fact that he had been friends with his dad back in the day, but that didn't change the fact he felt like he could trust him.  _Why do I trust him so much?_  he wondered. It couldn’t be just because of his dad, could it? No, that didn’t make sense. Maybe he just wasn’t thinking straight because he needed to mate. Yeah, that was entirely plausible. His heats had always been hard to go through and he usually would’ve been in Vegas by now.  _Wonder what he’s thinking_ , Hank thought to himself. From what he could tell, the younger wolf was still freaked out, but he wasn’t shaking anymore, which was  **definitely**  a plus. He hadn’t liked seeing the kid so shaken up. It wasn’t natural. Wolves weren’t supposed to be afraid of their Alphas. Respect them, sure. But fear them? Absolutely not. He had never feared his Alpha, and neither had Benny. He had had some knock out drag out fights with the guy when they didn’t see eye-to-eye, but he had never been afraid of him. But Kelly  **was**  afraid of Pridgen, and he wasn’t going to let that continue. He just had to get to kid to agree to talk to the Elders.  **What happens now?**  Kelly wondered.  **I bring this before the Elders, tell them what you told me** , Hank replied.  **What if they don't believe me? I’m just a Loner** , the younger wolf reminded. There was no way that they’d believe him over Pridgen. He knew this.  **That doesn’t mean a damn thing. They need to know what Pridgen’s doing** , Voight replied and Kelly nodded. Head Alpha Voight seemed to believe him for the time being and he would grab onto that. Scott and April looked at one another, concern shining in both of their eyes. Things had been pretty quiet for a while now, though Kelly’s fear wasn't quite as intense as it had been. What did that mean? Was he trusting the man? And if so, why? Everyone was aware that Head Alpha Voight had a reputation for being a hard ass. But then again, as far as they knew, he had never hurt another wolf like they had been. In the room, Kelly sighed.  _Wish I knew what to do_ , he thought to himself. What if the Elders believed Pridgen over him? Pridgen always said they would and why not? The other man was a leader, an Alpha. And he was just a wolf who flitted about from pack position to pack position as the situation called for it. That didn’t really bode well for him. Pridgen would be the one they would listen to, he was sure of it. But Head Alpha Voight believed him.  _That’s going to have to be enough_ , he thought to himself. Letting out a sigh, he shifted back and then rubbed the side of his neck as he stood up.

“You okay, Kid?” Hank asked in concern and then mentally slapped himself. Of course he wasn’t okay! He had just told him that he and his friends had been severely abused and exploited by Pridgen.

“Okay as I can be," Kelly responded.  **And I get what you meant by the question** , he added. If it had been anyone else asking the question, he would’ve been pissed, but he knew that Head Alpha Voight had just been trying to show his concern. Not everyone was all that great at showing that emotion. Obviously, Head Alpha Voight was one of those people. But he was trying at least, and that was appreciated. A wave of heat went through him and Kelly fought the urge to fidget. That was another thing that he hated about his mating cycle: that he would get these bursts of feeling overheated. Thankfully, it generally went away after he mated, but he hadn’t been able to do that yet given the circumstances, and he would have to unless he wanted to run the risk of throwing himself at April or Shay again. Not that Shay wouldn’t help him out despite the fact that she was gay, but still…it could get embarrassing. Rovers tended to feel the mating call harder than other wolves and if it was put off for too long, the wolf in question would end up practically begging the first person they saw to mate with them, regardless of whether or not there was an attraction. Hank’s eyes flickered, though he didn't say anything. From the smell, it appeared that Kelly had entered his mating cycle, just as Erin had. And she was investigating his attack.  _This could get interesting_ , he mused to himself.  _I could take her off the case until her cycle’s over_ , he thought. No, that wouldn't be fair to her. She had no control over her body’s desires during her mating cycle and he had vowed that she would never be made to feel like she was being punished for what her body was begging her to do. And him taking her off of the case would  **definitely**  make her feel like she was being punished.  _Yeah, not doing that_ , he thought to himself.

“You keepin’ cool and satiated?” he asked in concern.

“I’m managing, yeah,” he responded.  _Holy crap, did a head alpha just ask me about my sex life?_  he thought to himself.  **I'll probably go to Vegas in a couple of days, work it off. I’ll be okay** , he assured and the older wolf nodded. It wasn’t an ideal situation to keep the urge away, but he had done so enough times himself. Hell, so had Benny.  **What about Pridgen? He’s probably learned by now that I’m not dead and is looking to finish the job** , Kelly worried.  **We can set you up in a safe house** , Voight assured.  **You’d do that?**  Kelly asked, his mental tone betraying his surprise.  **Yes** , Voight responded.  **Let’s do that. He’ll kill me for sure** , Kelly stated. And he didn’t want to die. Again, he knew he was taking a lot on faith, but he had to trust **someone**. And why not make it someone he had at least some vague recollection of? If it was a mistake, well...he’d just deal with that when the time came.

“I’ll have my team set it up. Pack up what you want to take,” he responded and the younger wolf nodded. Then they walked out and immediately, Scott and April walked up to Kelly.

“You’re going to be okay,” Scott promised, giving him a quick hug.

“Show Pridgen what we already we know: that you’re a hell of a lot stronger than he thinks,” April added, doing the same, earning a small smile from Kelly.

“Thanks guys,” he responded. “You’ll stay safe?” he checked.

“Of course,” they assured together. They couldn’t blame him for worrying as they all knew what their old Alpha was capable of.

“I’ll set up a guard outside their place,” Hank promised. “Or if you two want, I can get you both into a safe house as well,” he added.

“I think we’ll be okay with a guard,” Scott responded. “If that changes…” he trailed off and the older wolf nodded.

“Fair enough,” he agreed. It wasn’t like they were dismissing his help and besides, he could always beef up security for them if the need arose. Hopefully it  **wouldn** ’ **t**  but one could never be sure. And he wanted to cover all of his bases.  _I’ll need to get clothes, toothbrush, and some other stuff_ , Kelly thought to himself. Wow. He had a lot to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. Giving himself a mental shake, he went to the hall, got himself a duffel bag, and then started packing, starting with a change of clothes, followed by his deodorant, toothpaste, and toothbrush. After that, he put in a few more t-shirts and sweatshirts before closing the bag.  _Okay, let’s do this_ , he thought to himself and then followed Voight out the door to the car. As they drove off, the sergeant dialed a number.

“Go for Halstead,” he heard a few moments later and had to fight back a grin. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t get the kid to break of the habit that he had picked up in the military. Not that he really minded as Al was the same way.

“I need to get Kelly to a safe house. Which one is available?” he queried. At the request, Jay looked it up.

“One on the Southside, uh…the one that a guy from your old Social Club gave you,” he reported.

“Perfect,” the man approved. “I want you and Lindsay to meet us there,” he instructed.

“You got it,” Jay responded and then hung up, heading out, Lindsay close behind. As Lindsay drove them to the location, she glanced at Jay.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, why?” he wondered.

“What Kelly’s going through. You can relate to it,” she responded.

“No, not really. Belinda could be a bitch, but she was never abusive. I mean, the worst thing I went through was when she and the rest of the pack just up and left, snapping from me and leaving me alone,” he stated. And that had hurt like hell, especially since he had been in Afghanistan and had been expecting to have a pack to come home to. At this, Erin nodded.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for what they put you through,” she told him.

“Thanks,” he said. “But I mean, it worked out for the best. You guys have become like a second family,” he continued, causing his partner to smile. Family. That’s what Voight always said they were. And the fact that Jay was feeling the same way meant a lot to her.  _Wonder how good he'd be in the sack_ , she thought to herself. Whoa! Crap, she obviously needed to mate soon. On a normal day, she didn’t have any romantic feelings for Halstead, but when she was on her mating cycle, any male wolf looked good to her. And yes, that could be problematic at times.

“You okay? You look a little flushed,” Jay noted in concern.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good. I just…I need to mate soon,” she replied and he grimaced.

“Ugh. Sorry. I’ll make myself scarce once we get Kelly situated,” he promised.

“You don’t have to,” she protested.

“Erin, no offense, but when you’re mating, you tend to get all animalistic and you bite--- **hard** ,” he reminded her. And yes, he knew this from experience. On her first cycle with him as her partner, he had gone along with her wants because he had wanted to help her and had figured she’d feel safer with someone she trusted. However, by the time they were through, he was sore in places he hadn’t known existed and had been sporting a bite mark on his shoulder.

“Right. Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly. How could she have forgotten about the time that she had hurt him? Of  **course**  he wanted to be far away from her during this time. Seeing her expression, he reached over to take her hand.

"Hey, I do  **not**  regret helping you out that time,” he assured her. “And I know you didn’t mean to bite me. You just got carried away,” he continued, squeezing her hand, resulting in a smile from her.  _I’m so lucky_ , she thought to herself. She couldn’t believe that she had such a great friend in Jay. When she had first met him when Intelligence was being put together, she had become convinced that he was a pompous jackass who thought he was hot stuff just because he had been in the Rangers.  _Can’t believe that other pack just up and left him like that. Snapping from him and not each other. I mean, what the hell?_  she wondered. Almost immediately, her mind went back.

“ _So tell me Halstead, does that charm of yours always work?” she asked, trying to keep her tone teasing when she was in fact annoyed. Once again, her partner had usurped her lead and had taken over. Why the hell did Hank put me with him? she wondered. Was she being punished for something?_

“ _No, not always,” he responded. Damn, she’s pissed, he thought. He hadn’t been trying to do that. He just wanted to show that he could bring something to the_  _unit._

“ _What does your Alpha have to say about your tendencies?” she queried. Can’t imagine that an Alpha would let it fly, she thought to herself. Hank sure as hell wouldn’t._

“ _Don’t have one,” he responded. In shock, she turned to look at him._

“ _You're a Loner?” she queried. Do I have to worry about him going Feral? she wondered._

“ _Not by choice. I was overseas when they all snapped from me and left Chicago,” he responded._

“ _Holy crap. Are you serious?” she asked, her voice full of shock. What the hell? she wondered. Why would a wolf do that?_

“ _Yeah,” he responded. Great. Now she knows how big of a loser I really am, he thought miserably. She’d probably never let him prove his worth now. And if he couldn’t do that, he wasn't sure  **what**  he'd do._

“ _Screw them. You have us now,” she responded. Gonna make him forget all about those jackasses, she thought to herself. _A nudge on her arm broke her out of her reverie.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

“I’d ask you where you went but judging from your expression, I think I know,” he responded.

"Still can't believe that they did that. If they ever dare to show their faces back here, there won't be a place that they can hide,” she spat out, her fingers squeezing the steering wheel. Was it bad that she was imagining the steering wheel being the necks of his old pack members?

“Erin, that was a year ago and I’m part of Voight's pack now,” he reminded her.

“Yeah as of a few months ago. It took you a whole year to learn to trust us because of what those Mutts did,” she growled, her eyes going an amber gold. She wanted to rip those wolves limb from limb for what they had done to her partner and if she ever came across them, she would.

“Hey, I’m happy now. That’s all that matters,” he reminded her and she nodded. That was true. Moments later, they arrived at the safe house and walked in to see that Voight had already gotten Kelly set up.

“Anyone hungry?” the sergeant questioned.

“I could eat,” Kelly replied and the two detectives nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go make a run,” the older man stated. “You allergic to anything besides strawberries?” he queried, looking at Kelly.

“You remember that?” he asked.

“Yeah,” he responded. “You may not remember, but I stayed with you and your dad the whole night when you had to go to the hospital because someone poured the remainder of their strawberry shake into your chocolate shake,” he continued.

“No, I was uh---pretty out of it that night,” he responded. “But no, I’m not allergic to anything else,” he answered. Hank nodded and headed out.  _Gonna need to get burgers for Kelly and Erin_ , he reminded himself, recalling the fact that when a wolf was in heat, they sometimes tended to crave meat more. And though from the smell of it, they had just entered their cycles, it would be better to stave off any cravings as early as possible. Jay’s eyes flickered as Voight left and Kelly went to one of the rooms and laid down on the bed.  _This sucks. I don’t want them going through all this trouble just for me_ , he thought to himself. They shouldn’t be wasting their resources like this. It wasn’t right. Without a word, Jay went outside and started noting all the ways someone could possibly come at them. Seeing this, Erin shook her head with a fond smile.  _Of course he would check the perimeter_ , she thought to herself. Okay, yes, it was standard procedure, but he hadn’t even checked to see if she wanted to be the one to do it. She then went into the room Kelly was in.

“How you holding up?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Are you sure you guys want to waste resources on me? I mean, I’m sure you’ve got a lot of other cases that need your attention,” he replied.

“Hey, this is top priority. Your alpha abused his power. He tried to kill you,” she said.

“But---” Kelly started to object.

“No buts,” Erin interrupted, sitting down. As she did so, her scent invaded Kelly’s nostrils and he inhaled sharply. She smelled just as good as she had when she had visited him in the hospital, if not better. Feeling a certain part of his anatomy twitch, he shifted, trying to taper it down, but to no avail. Erin licked her lips when she smelled the other wolf’s arousal grow.  _Can’t believe he’s so turned on_ , she thought to herself. Not that she was any better. Kelly smelled delicious. Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and kissed him, her eyes shining an amber gold as she let her wolf side take over. Kelly moaned and caressed her sides, his eyes turning the same color as the detective’s. Erin growled a bit as she nipped at his neck and Kelly let out a whimpering keen and rubbed against her. As one, they both shifted into their wolf forms, his black, and hers a dark brown. Erin snuffled at Kelly as she licked the spot where his neck would be.  _Damn, that feels good_ , he thought to himself. Her touch didn’t scare him like Pridgen’s did. She nuzzled him a bit with her snout and then nipped at his neck. He let out a sound of contentment and she continued to nibble at his neck. She then spread her body over his, continuing her ministrations as Kelly let out a receptive keen and let the pleasurable sensations take over as she sank further down into him. While all of this was going on, an officer walked up to the cells that held Frank and Dylan and let them out.

“Finally!” Frank exclaimed.  _Looks like they wised up enough to know not to hold me the entire seventy-two hours_ , he thought to himself. And why not? He had given them the information they wanted. It had been necessary for survival. Surely Pridgen would realize that. After all, he was one of his top guys and was too valuable to lose.  _Don’t know what I was so worried about_ , he thought to himself. He had acted wisely and he was sure that the older man would see it that way.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” the officer responded. “If it was up to me, you’d have to stay in here the entire seventy-two hours,” he commented. Dylan and Frank just rolled their eyes and walked out of the building to see a car waiting for them. The car door opened, they got in, and after the door closed, the driver of the car sped off.

 


	6. Mating And Alpha Moves

A little bit later, Kelly grinned as Erin snuggled close to him.  _Whoa.   That was…amazing_ , he thought to himself.  He had never felt anything like that before.  It was like…like he had come home.  Like he was complete.  Why did he feel that way?  It didn’t make sense.  He didn’t really even know Erin and yet it was like they had a connection.  It was a little weird, but also really nice.  Especially since he wasn’t feeling so jittery anymore.  She had done that for him.  _Wow…that felt…awesome_ , Erin thought to herself.  It was like he had completed her.  No one else had ever made her feel this way.  _Wonder what’s up with that_ , she mused.  Not that she was complaining, mind you.  It felt rather good.  Her reverie was broken when she heard the door open and she and Kelly quickly pulled apart and went to get dressed.  _Damn, they’re gonna smell it on us_ , he thought to himself.  Hopefully, he hadn’t gotten Erin in too much trouble.  Almost as if she knew what he was thinking, she nudged him and smiled at him.

“It’ll be okay,” she said softly.

“You think so?” he queried.

“Yeah, I do,” she responded.  _That was…incredible_ , she thought to herself.  She was--- **buzzing** \---from what had happened, for a lack of a better word.  She had never felt like this before.  Usually, she would just end up feeling satisfied and satiated with no other thought about the guy that she had just screwed.  But with Kelly---it had felt like home, which was similar to how she felt about Voight.  _Why would he make me feel this way?_ She wondered.  And what if Voight took her off the case for being unprofessional?  She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to take it if that happened.  Kelly bit his lip as he quickly threw on his shirt and then buttoned his jeans.  Yeah she had said everything would be okay, but how could it be okay when he had taken so many liberties with her?  She was an Alpha and he was nothing but a Loner Rover.  He wasn’t exactly prime pickings.  Seeing the pensive look, Erin nudged him again.

“What are you thinking?” she wondered and he shrugged, wondering how he was going to put what he was feeling into words.

“It was…amazing,” he finally uttered.  And wow.  Did that ever sound cheesy.  But it was all he could think of.  Hearing this, the female Alpha grinned.

“Yes it was,” she agreed.  _Glad he feels the same way_ , she thought to herself.  That was one less thing to worry about.  Of course, there was also the fact that he looked freaked as hell.  _Hope he doesn’t think that Voight or Jay would ever hurt him_ , she thought to herself.   Because they wouldn’t.  Voight might get pissed at her for breaking the rules and sleeping with a victim, but he’d never hurt either of them.  She then went out to the living and grinned softly at her partner and boss, hoping that it’d put them more at ease.

“‘Hi’.  That’s all you gotta say?” Hank asked in a slightly admonishing tone as Jay put the food on the table.  _I knew there was a chance that her instincts would take over, but I was hoping she would’ve been able to last longer than this_ , he thought to himself.

“Sorry, Hank.  You know how it is when you’re in heat,” she apologized.

“You want me to get him?” Jay queried.

“No need.  I’m here,” Kelly answered, coming out.  _Hate that I got her in trouble_ , he thought to himself.  He should’ve known that this would happen though.  Hank’s eyes flickered over to the wolf, frowning when he smelled the unease.  _Aw, crap.  Does he think I’m gonna punish him or something?_ he wondered.  Was there a bit of an ethical dilemma given the fact that Erin was investigating Kelly’s attack?  Absolutely.  However, they had both been in heat and if they hadn’t given in to the desires now, they probably would have later.

“You’re not in trouble,” Hank assured and the younger wolf’s eyes flickered at him, showing his confusion.  “Neither one of you did anything wrong,” he reminded.

“We mated.  I took liberties,” the younger wolf responded.

“‘Took liberties’?” Jay repeated with a scoff.  “Erin doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to.  If she hadn’t wanted to mate with you, she would’ve knocked you on your ass,” he informed.

“Jay!” Erin exclaimed.  **You’re going to scare him away** , she scolded.  **Sorry** , Jay apologized.

“He’s right.  If it wasn’t something she wanted, she would’ve put a stop to it,” Hank chimed in.  “We’ll discuss it later.  Let’s just eat for now,” he continued.  At that, the food was distributed and everyone dug in.  For the next few minutes, the only sound heard was the small group eating.  After this, Hank went to check the perimeter, his eyes clouding with worry.  _Don’t want anything happening to them_ , he thought to himself.  He would do anything to protect Kelly and Erin.  And while he was at it, he was going to do everything in his power to make Kelly forgot that he had ever been afraid of an Alpha.  He was going to show him what an Alpha was supposed to be: loyal, protective, taking care of the pack…yeah, that would be good.  And despite what people thought, he wasn’t actually the hard ass he portrayed himself as.  While this was going on, Dylan and Frank had returned to their homes.  Dylan smiled to himself.  Everything was just fine.  He had kept his mouth shut and he had been bailed out by his boss.  He had proved his loyalty.  The boss would be pleased.  And that was a good thing.  His boss could be a scary bastard when he wanted to be.  If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear he was like one of those wolves he had heard people talking about.  He certainly had the aggression for it.  Then, he let out a scoff.  There was no such thing as a shapeshifter or a werewolf, or whatever the hell people called them.  His boss was just one scary ass bastard.  It was how he stayed in business for so long and did so well at it.  In his own home, Frank frowned nervously.  He had ratted out the boss.  How could he have been so stupid?  He’d kill him for sure!  No!  He couldn’t think like that!  The cops had promised to protect him.  He looked out the window, trying to see if he could spot the people Voight had hired to protect him.  His mind went back.

 

_“You’re releasing me!?  But what if he comes after me?!” he protested._

_“Relax.  You’ll have people watching you,” Sergeant Voight promised.  “People who are **very** good at staying hidden.”_

 

Dylan nodded to himself.  He would be just fine.  It didn’t matter that he couldn’t see whoever was in charge of protecting him.  He would just have to trust that they were there.  In the squad car, Kim sighed and glanced at the man next to her.  _Why’d I have to get paired up with Roman for this detail?_ she wondered.  Not that Roman was a bad cop, but with something like this, Atwater would’ve been better.  Feeling her gaze on him, Sean glanced at his partner.  _I’ll never understand why she’s so blasé about the fact that there are monsters among us_ , he thought to himself.  Didn’t she realize how dangerous werewolves were?  Somehow, he didn’t think so.  Well, he’d do whatever he could to show her the seriousness of everything and would just hope that she’d open her eyes.

“See anything?” Kim asked.

“Nope,” Roman replied.  While all of this was going on, the Elders were out and about on the town, each of them doing a separate patrol.  Raymond Riddle sighed.  He didn’t like what was going on: a wolf had been attacked and on top of that, he could see younger wolves getting hooked on a street drug, though as a rule, they couldn’t do anything about that one since it was a police matter and not a wolf matter.  _Wish I knew what to do_ , he thought to himself.  He then gave himself a mental shake and went on his way.  After leaving Pridgen, Thomas and Rodney went to Kelly’s apartment and began looking around.  Declan Borroughs---who was on his own patrol---stopped when he felt a small presence nudging his mind.  **Yes?** he asked.  **Look through my eyes please, Elder** , he heard and immediately, he closed his eyes and focused on the wolf that had contacted him.  A moment later, he found himself looking through the things in Kelly’s apartment as two wolves searched through it, one snarling as he looked.

“He’s not here!” one wolf exclaimed.

“Maybe he’s hiding,” the other wolf said.

“No. His scent is faint.  He hasn’t been here in days,” the first wolf stated.  Meanwhile, Harold had immediately headed for an apartment that he was well familiar with.

“Open the door, witch!  I can smell you in there!” he shouted, banging on the door, not noticing when another apartment door opened and a woman poked her head out and scowled.  _Damn it.  Trying to sleep_ , she thought to herself.  Harold continued to bang on the door and to his pleasure, it was opened shortly after.

“What do you want?” the woman asked with a scowl and the wolf had to keep his laughter down.  _Love it when they pretend to be brave_ , he thought to himself.  The woman before him was so obviously trying to hide her fear from him even though he could smell it.

“I need a favor from you,” he replied.

“I already did you a favor by not killing you when Pridgen forced me to do the protection spell on you so the wolfsbane on your teeth wouldn’t harm you,” the woman snapped.  “Now go away!”  Harold let out a small yelp of surprise as he found himself being pushed back a bit by a wave of her hand.  _Oh so it’s going to be like **that** , is it?_ he thought.  Well, then, he’d just have to take care of the little witch.  With a growl, he lunged at the woman, his eyes turning silver and he began his shift. The woman started to launch another attack but it was cut off as powerful jaws locked onto her throat as he turned completely into a wolf. _Burn from the inside out.  Let his agony know no bounds, limbs twist and turn, break apart the wolf_ , she thought frantically.  Harold’s features turned into a wolfish grin as the witch breathed her last.  _Ha!  Not so tough!_ he crowed silently.  A moment later, he let out an agonized yelp as he felt a searing heat course through his body.  Panicked, he turned and started out at a gallop.   He then let out another yelp as his back right paw suddenly slid out from underneath him and twisted it an angle, resulting in a snap.  _Shift!  I need to shift!_ he realized.  Ignoring the continuing pain, he focused and began shifting back into his human form, starting with his head and hands.  He then let out another cry as his back left paw slid out from underneath him as did the right paw.  He then let out a whimper of pain as he heard another snap.  Trying to ignore the pain, Harold attempted to make his way to the phone.  However, it was no use.  In the apartment of the woman whose rest had been disturbed when the man had started banging on the witch’s door, the woman was on the phone, reporting everything that she had heard.

“That’s right. This guy turned into a wolf and attacked her,” she reported.  _Holy crap.  I thought werewolves were pretend_ , she thought to herself.

“Ma’am, have you been drinking?” the officer queried.

“No I haven’t been drinking!” the woman protested.

“You said you had been sleeping when the knocking woke you up.  Could your mind have played tricks on you?” the officer suggested.

“Of course not!” the woman snapped.  “Look, I know how it sounds, but I’m telling you, that’s what really happened!” she insisted.  “Could you just---send someone to apartment One thirteen on Elton and Lakeshore?” 

“Yes, Ma’am.  We’ll send a unit.”

“Thank you.”  She let out a sigh as she hung up.  _Geez…so ridiculous_ , she thought to herself.  She wasn’t crazy, drunk, or seeing things as she was woke up.  A guy had turned into a wolf and attacked her neighbor.  And yes, she was quite aware of how insane that sounded, so she couldn’t really blame the officer she had spoken to for being skeptical, but the fact was that this had actually happened.  The officer sighed and relayed the message that he had gotten. 

“Copy that.  Responding,” Atwater said into his radio.  _Great.  We’re going to have to deal with a drunk tonight.  Wonderful_ , he thought to himself. Drunks could be **really** unpredictable.  He glanced at his partner, Ryan Markham, as they headed out.

“Drunk, huh?” the man asked.

“Yup,” Atwater replied.  Moments later, they arrived on the scene and walked towards the apartment.  Seeing one ajar, Atwater and Markham, rushed towards it, guns drawn.  _Maybe something really **is** going on_ , Atwater thought to himself as he followed his partner inside.  Then, he stopped and stared.  _What the…?  How..?_ his thoughts trailed off as he stared at the man who was whimpering in pain.  At least…he thought it was a man.  He couldn’t be sure.  The top half of him looked like a man but from the waist down, he looked like a wolf.  _This isn’t possible_ , he thought to himself.  Markham spoke into his radio, but he sounded far away.  What was going on?  Moments later, he heard footsteps and turned to see Voight and the rest of Intelligence.

“You okay, man?  You look like you’re gonna faint,” Halstead commented.

“I…I…” he stammered.

“You guys go on.  We got this,” Antonio stated.

“Don’t gotta tell **me** twice.  I didn’t sign up for this crap,” Markham commented and the two officers walked out.  **He looked bad** , Adam noted.  **We’ll keep an eye on him** , Voight promised.  Then, he turned his attention to Spellman.

“Well **you** ’ **re** in a fix,” he commented.

“Looks like she got the last laugh,” Antonio added, gesturing to the woman.

“Bring me a witch and make them fix this!” Spellman growled.  “That witch bitch did this to me!  She attacked me!” he accused.

“And not without good reason I suspect,” Jay stated.  _What the hell?!  I’m a wolf just like them!  They should be bending over backwards trying to help me!_ Spellman thought to himself.  “I knew her. Rebecca Morning.  She never casts a spell without a reason.  So if she did **this** to you, she **had** to,” he continued.

“I’m just like you!  A wolf!  Now fix me!” the injured wolf growled.  He then yelped in surprise as Voight slapped him.

“You’re nothing like us.  Why were you here?” he demanded.  Spellman whimpered.  **He’ll kill me** , he whined.  **So will I.  But unlike Pridgen, I’ll make it fast** , came Hank’s response.  **The witch owed me a favor.  I tried to collect.  She acted wrongly and got punished.  Everyone knows that witches are to serve us** , Spellman stated.  Head Alpha Voight would understand.  He was on the Council along with the Elders.  They made the rules and laws.  Hearing this, Voight’s eyes flashed and he held back a snarl.  Witches were just there to serve?  Like hell!  Before he even realized what he was doing, he had shifted and his jaws were locking onto the younger wolf’s jugular.

“VOIGHT!”

“HANK!”  The head alpha barely heard the shouts.  He was too focused on his quarry.  Die.  Spellman needed to die.  He had spoken out of turn.  A few moments later, the younger wolf became limp and the Head Alpha released his hold and then stalked out, blood dripping down his jaws.

 


	7. Coming To A Head

Olinsky blew out a breath.  _Geez.  Wasn’t expecting that_ , he thought to himself.  Then again, he probably should’ve, knowing how Voight felt about mistreatment of witches.  He had never tolerated it, not even when they were younger.  He then glanced at the others who were wearing similar expressions of confusion.  Well, except for Lindsay, that was.  She just looked upset.

“I’ve never seen him like that,” Jay said quietly.

“He’s very protective of witches.  Camille was one,” Erin murmured and Jay nodded in understanding.  That made sense.  And could he really blame him?  Nope.  Olinsky let out a sigh and walked out and followed his friend’s scent to a hallway.  **Hank** , he said.  I **know.  I lost it back there** , the other Alpha responded.  **Not without good reason** , his friend reminded.  Hearing this, there was a chuffing sound---the wolf version of a sigh.  **When Spellman spewed that crap, it just reminded me of the hell Camille had gone through because of her powers.  Beat by her father for being a witch, calling her a child of the devil.  And that ass-wipe she was dating when we met** , he admitted, coming into view.  **I remember** , Olinsky commented.  **When we first started dating, Cammie would often use her powers trying to please me because that’s what had been drilled into her---that she was just supposed to serve a wolf.  Took me months to break her out of that mindset** , Hank said softly.  **I know** , Al commented.  He remembered how frustrated Hank had been as he tried to convince Camille that she didn’t have to use her powers to satisfy his every whim.  **You do know you’re going to have to meet with the Elders now, right?** Olinsky pointed out.  Just like attacking another wolf, killing another wolf was a punishable offense unless it was self-defense.  And this hadn’t been.  This had been Hank losing control. **Yeah, I’ll pay ‘em a visit.  Don’t worry** , Voight replied.  _Can’t believe I lost control like that.  I’m not a pup anymore.  Should’ve known better_ , he thought to himself.  With a sigh, he changed back. 

“Tell them I need to go and that I’ll be back,” Hank instructed and Al nodded.  _Don’t envy him_ , he thought to himself.  But hey, at least he wasn’t putting it off.  His eyes flickered as his friend walked off and then headed back into the other room.

“Where’s Voight?” Erin wondered.

“He’s heading to go see the Elders,” Alvin replied and everyone grimaced.  _That’s never fun_ , Jay thought to himself. 

“So, uh…what do we do here?” Adam queried.

“I’ll call it in,” Erin replied.  While all of this was going on, Shay was in a meeting with several people, including the Elders.

“No disrespect meant, Elders, I just want to know if the wolf that attacked Kelly could suddenly decide to attack humans,” she stated.

“No, we don’t believe it was Feral,” Susan stated.  “I know this is frightening, Leslie, but please be assured that we’re doing all that we can to maintain order,” she continued gently.  _Don’t blame her one bit for being scared_ , she thought to herself.  Not only had a friend of hers been attacked, but a witch as well.  Normally, when different species were attacked, it indicated that the wolf had gone Feral, so really, what was she supposed to think?  Hearing this, Shay nodded.  She trusted the Elders.  And she knew that they were doing everything that they could to take care of what was going on.  It wasn’t their fault that Kelly’s old Alpha was an asshole.  Susan’s eyes flickered.  She couldn’t even imagine what Leslie was thinking or feeling.  Being a liaison between two different species wasn’t all sunshine and roses.  And Leslie worked in a firehouse that catered to both humans and werewolves, which could sometimes get problematic, so it was no wonder that she was a bit nervous.  _Gonna make sure that this is taken care of_ , the female Elder thought to herself. She and the others couldn’t let crap like this continue.  And they wouldn’t.  They just had to figure who all was involved.  As he listened to them, Riddle’s eyes flickered.  He didn’t like what he was hearing.  Pridgen was out of control but they still needed more than what their guy on the inside had given them.  _Hate having to wait like this._   _If this was the old days, we could just go in now and take care of it_ , he thought to himself.  However, those days were gone and now they needed more evidence before taking action.  And that didn’t sit well with him.  He didn’t like being inactive like this.  They had a wolf that was in danger and he wanted to make sure that it was never hurt again.  He wasn’t going to stand for a wolf being abused.  No, he would take Pridgen down and make him pay for what he had done.  At the safe house, Kelly sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.  _Wonder what’s going on_ , he thought to himself.  After getting a call, Voight, Jay, and Erin had taken off, and if their body language was anything to go by, something really bad had just happened.  However, he knew that it wasn’t any of his business.  Didn’t mean that he wasn’t curious though.  However, he wasn’t stupid enough to ask about it.  Not that they’d answer any question he might have asked.  Things just didn’t work that way.  But hopefully, whatever they had to deal with would lead to them arresting Pridgen.  _Just want this to be over_ , he thought to himself.  He wasn’t really happy about having to stay cooped up like this and he was going absolutely crazy.  However, he knew he couldn’t just demand answers.  It didn’t work like that.  There were protocols, especially for Rovers and Loners.  He just hoped it would all end soon.  He was tired of waiting on pins and needles like this.  He wanted some normalcy back in his life.  Was that so bad?  After all, the last couple of days had been Hell and he had hardly slept.  In fact, the best sleep he had gotten had happened directly after he had given into his heat with Erin and mated with her.  And now, something else was going on.  Something that was big enough where a whole Squad was being dispatched.  _Can’t ask questions though.  Don’t want to piss them off_ , he thought to himself.  Okay, so maybe he was a little paranoid, but after what he had gone through with Pridgen, he felt that he had the right to be wary.  He just wanted all of this to go away.  He was sick of this crap.  While all of this was going on, some members of Fifty-One were in the common room, talking together.

“Can you believe what’s going on?” Peter Mills queried. 

“No.  I mean, why would another wolf attack Kelly? It doesn’t make sense.  Sure, he can be arrogant at times, but he’s not a bad guy,” Sylvie Brett responded.

“Pridgen’s an Alpha and some Alphas believe that they’re superior to the other wolves in their pack,” Brian Zvonecke replied.

“That’s crazy!  That’s not true at all!” Sylvie protested.  What kind of crazy thought was **that**?  An Alpha may have been a protector of the pack, but that didn’t make them superior.

“I know.  And I agree,” Brian told her.  It was one of the reasons he had joined Boden’s pack rather than a pack from home.  While his family was great and he loved them, they had a tendency to be elitist.  

“You’re right, Otis, but it’s just the way some wolves were raised.  It sucks and that type of thinking is---for the most part---dying off, but the thinking is still there,” Matt told them.

“But why would anyone think that?” Peter wondered.

“Honestly, I don’t know.  I mean, my uncle Roberto is a great guy, but he’s the type who believes that the role of a female Alpha is to just carry on the pack line,” Gabby answered. 

“That’s horrible,” Sylvie commented.  “Your parents don’t think that way, do they?”

“Absolutely not.  But it **does** make for some interesting Thanksgiving discussions.”  Matt couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped.  She wasn’t wrong about that.

“Our point is, even though it’s archaic, there are still some Alphas believe in this and though we disagree, we should always give them the respect that’s deserved.”  At this, Sylvie made a face.  _Not sure if I could do that_ , she thought to herself.  Matt chuckled, seeing the face.  “I know.  I feel the same way.”  Hank walked into the building and up to the receptionist.

“Head Alpha Voight, what can I do for you?” she asked.

“I need to see the Elders.  It’s important,” he responded.  The woman nodded.  **Elder Riddle, Head Alpha Voight is here to meet with you** , she announced.  **Send him up please** , Riddle requested.

“You can go right up,” she told him.  Hank nodded and then did so.

“Hank, what can we do for you?” Susan queried as she and the other Elders focused their attention on him.

“Two things: I’d like to bring Patrick Pridgen up on charges,” he answered and then proceeded to tell them everything he and his unit had found out.

“This is a big help,” Declan stated after he was done. 

“He’s already on your radar?” Hank asked in surprise.

“He is.  We have a man undercover,” Declan replied.  **Not Spellman?** Hank asked, a pit appearing in his stomach.  If he had ruined things for Kelly by killing the guy who was working for the Elders, he’d never forgive himself.  Not that Spellman had seemed to be working for anyone except Pridgen, but one never knew.  **No.  Not Spellman** , came the response and the Head Alpha nodded.  Okay, he hadn’t screwed things up. Good to know.  **What’s the other thing?** Riddle questioned.

“I lost my temper and attacked and killed Spellman.  I will take on any punishment you deem appropriate,” he answered out loud.

“What happened?” Susan queried.  _He’s not one to lose control like that_ , she thought.  Oh, yes, he had a temper, but he hardly ever lost full control.

“Ran his mouth off about how a witch’s only purpose was to serve wolves,” he replied.  “To put it mildly, I didn’t react well.  I shifted and tore his throat out,” he admitted.  Hearing this, the Elders nodded, their eyes clouding in concern.  “As stated, I’ll take whatever punishment you deem appropriate,” he stated.

“We’ll discuss it,” Raymond told him and the police sergeant nodded.  _That went better than I thought it would_ , he thought to himself.  To be perfectly honest, he had been expecting instantaneous punishment.  And he would’ve deserved it.  But they hadn’t punished him that way, and he knew that he had gotten lucky.  “Go on, Hank.  Get out of here.”  With that, Voight nodded and headed out.  He would most likely be called back later that night or sometime later that week.  Okay, he needed to not worry about this.  He had his answer for now and he needed to accept it.  He also needed to figure out how he was going to help Kelly.  Kid was going to need someone to look out for him, to get him some therapy.   And yes, the kid was going to need therapy.  His Alpha had abused him and he would need to deal with that.  But that would come later.  Right now, they had to figure out how to take the guy down.  And hey, the Elders knew, which meant that it was being taken care of.  While all of this was going on, Pridgen was out looking for Spellman.  _Where the hell is he?_ he wondered, scowling.  He could usually find him.  **Harold** , he called, his mental voice irritated.  Why couldn’t he find him?  He was starting to get pissed.  Harold knew not to ignore him.  He knew the punishment for insubordination.  So why was he acting out now?  It didn’t make sense.  There was no way he could’ve lost his loyalty.  Okay, so he needed to find him.  With a sigh, he headed out.  _Fine time for him to go into hiding_ , he grumped.  Why wasn’t he ever around when he needed him?  It was annoying.  And he didn’t like being annoyed.  Spellman was going to pay for this, he would see to it. **HAROLD!** he thundered before blinking in surprise at the slight pressure on his head.  Who would dare try to get into his head?  His pack knew not to take such liberties.  Well, he might as well let the insubordination slide just this once.  Maybe he would get some answers.  **Um….Sir?** he heard a voice ask.   **Speak** , he commanded.  **Spellman’s dead** , the voice told him, causing him to stumble.  **What?** he asked.  He couldn’t have heard that right.  **Spellman’s dead.  I found him with his throat torn out** , the other wolf replied.  _What the…?_ Pridgen thought to himself.  How had Spellman gotten himself killed?  What stupid thing had he done now?  Just perfect.  This was just great.  Now he was going to have to leave town because everyone knew how loyal Spellman was to him and whatever had gotten him killed would probably be traced back to him because he was an idiot like that.  Of course, he was smarter than Spellman.  _Well…they can’t charge me if I’m not here_ , he thought to himself.  Yes, he could swing this into his favor.  He’d leave town and then leave a message with the Elders that he was attempting to track down Spellman’s immediate family before the funeral.  Yes, he had a plan.  This was going to work.  Without even thinking about it, Pridgen shifted into his wolf form, his eyes shining amber as he trotted down the street, using one of the many shortcuts he had memorized to get to the city limits.  **Jesse!** he called. **‘Sup, Pat?** he heard a moment later, causing a wolfish grin to appear at the corners of his mouth.  **Gonna need you to send some people to collect my things.  It’s getting a bit hot in Chicago and one of my wolves idiotically got themselves killed** , he replied.  **Consider it done** , man, came the response.  At this, the grin grew.  He had known he could count on the man.  Despite the fact that Jesse was only an Omega, the two had been friends for years and he could always count on him to help him keep his hands clean.  This was going to be just fine.  Without a sound, he trotted off, his eyes shining a brilliant amber.  All he had to do was bide his time and once everything had died down; he could come back and then take care of the Mutt that had defied him.  Kelly was supposed to die in the attack he had ordered and he was going to damn well finish the job.  And once that was accomplished, he would go after Scott and April, which would complete his task.  He was Alpha and he would show that what he decreed went, no matter what.


	8. Decisions

Kelly smiled as he walked in the Twenty-First Precinct, a bouquet of flowers in his hand.  _So happy_ , he thought to himself.  he had never thought he could be so happy.  Erin was amazing and he **loved** the excitement he felt every time he went to see her. As he walked up the stairs, the hustle and bustle of the precinct became more apparent.  _Whoa.  looks busy_ , he thought to himself.  Okay, so just drop the flowers off and let her be.  There was no need to distract her from whatever case she was working on.  _Not going to bug her_ , he thought to himself as he finished walking up the stairs.  And besides, he was on break himself, which meant that he wouldn’t be able to stay all that long anyway.  He then mentally shook this thought off and walked up to the front desk where Trudy was.

“Well, if it isn’t the loverboy,” the desk sergeant smirked.

“Hey, Sergeant Platt,” he greeted.  “I won’t stay long since I can see you’re all busy.  I’ll just leave these on her desk and---” he started to say.

“What?  You think you have to cut and run just cause we’re slammed?  Not on your life.  Go up and visit your mate,” the woman interrupted, causing the firefighter to blink at the blunt tone.  _Okay, wasn’t expecting **that**_ , he thought to himself.  But hey, at least he was welcome, so that was a plus.  Without another word, he used the keycard Erin had given him and headed up.  _Okay, I’ll just go in, give her the flowers, and get out.  The last thing she needs is me getting in the way_ , he thought to himself.  Seeing her desk, he went to it and placed the flowers down before turning and heading back towards the stairs.  **Kell?** he heard her ask.  **Left something on your desk.  Don’t worry, I’m not sticking around.  I know you’re busy** , he responded.  In Voight’s office, Erin looked at her superior.

“Go,” he encouraged.  Yeah, they were busy, but Kelly needed to be reminded that he was one of them, even though he hadn’t officially joined their pack yet.  _I hope he does soon, but I can’t blame him for being hesitant about it_ , he thought to himself, remembering what the younger man had told him.  Pack life had been hell for him under Pridgen and he wasn’t going to force anything on him.  Without another word, Erin left the office and hurried out, going to Kelly.

“Hey. Stay,” she requested, grabbing his arm.

“You’re busy.  Don’t want to distract you,” he protested.  _Don’t want to get her in trouble_ , he thought to himself.

“You’re not.  I promise,” she responded.  _Hate that he’s so skittish around us_ , she moped.  Not that she could blame him, but she just didn’t like it.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”  Hearing this, Erin smiled and took the flowers, placing them on the desk as Kim went to find a vase that they could be placed in.  After finding what she was looking for, she came back with the vase full of water and handed it to Erin who put the flowers into it.

“Thanks, Kim.”

“You’re welcome.”  Kelly couldn’t help the grin.  She liked the flowers!  He had been hoping she would.  This was all new to him and he was trying so hard not to screw things up.  _He’s amazing_ , she thought to herself.  She just wished that he wasn’t so self-conscious around her.  Not that she could blame him given what he had been through, but she had to admit that she wished that there was something she could do to get him to see that being in a pack with Voight wasn’t going to be the same.  Was it a bad thing that she was so anxious to have him join them?  She wanted him to feel safe with them.  She then returned to him and took his hand.  **I love them** , she told him.  **Yeah?** he asked.  **Yeah** , she responded, smiling at him.  **Pink tulips are my favorite** , she responded. **I know.  I smell them on you all the time** , he told her and her grin grew.  She loved that he was so attentive to her.  How had she gotten so lucky?  She loved it.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“I was just wondering how I had gotten so lucky,” she replied.

“ **I** ’ **m** the lucky one,” he corrected.  “You and Voight…you guys took me in even though I’m just a---”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Erin interrupted.  “You are **not** a mutt,” she told him.

“But---”

“No!  Pridgen had a responsibility to you guys as your Alpha and he failed in that duty!  If anyone’s a mutt, it’s him!”  Kelly sighed and averted his gaze. How could she say that?  He and the others had given Pridgen such a hard time and he had done the only thing he could’ve done.

“Babe. Hey…look at me.” At the plea, Kelly turned his gaze on her and she reached out, caressing his cheek.  “I know you’re struggling with trusting us and that’s okay.  Just know that the crap Pridgen spewed at you is just that: crap.”  He nodded, leaning into the touch, adding a small nuzzle.  _They’ve been here for me just as much as Scott and April have been_ , he thought to himself.  He felt safe with them, which was a feeling he hadn’t had for a long time.  Not since he had joined Pridgen’s pack back in college.  _Wonder if I should pledge fealty_ , he mused.  Voight hadn’t hurt him, not even once.  And Dad had known him.  Sure they would often fight, but that was just their thing.  And they were both Alphas, so it was bound to happen, just like with him and Matt.  But on the other hand, did he really want to get stuck like that again?  It had been nice not having to worry about anyone getting into his head.  Erin’s smiled at the small sign of affection and then her eyes clouded in concern as she looked at him.

“What are you thinking?” she wondered and then watched as he shrugged.

“Just trying to figure stuff out,” he admitted.

“Such as?”

“What I want to do pack-wise.”  She nodded, trying to squash the hope that had started to rise in her chest.  Was he wanting to pledge fealty to Voight?  _If he did that, we’d truly be bonded_ , she thought to herself.  And she wanted that more than anything.  

“Well, whatever you decide, I’ll support you,” she told him.

“I know,” he said with a smile.  _Thank God for her_ , he thought to himself.  He wasn’t really sure what he’d do if she hadn’t come along.  Hell, he’d probably be dead.  Not that he knew this for sure, but with how Pridgen was, it was a pretty reasonable assumption.  Meanwhile, at Pridgen’s new location, Welch looked at the older wolf.

“When are we going to make a move?  I’m sick of being cooped up,” he complained.  _Want to do something.  I need to run, fight…something.  I have too much energy to burn_ , he thought to himself.  Wolves weren’t supposed to stay inside like this.  It wasn’t natural.  They were born to be free and to run wild.  And yet, here he was, hiding out like some damn house cat.

“When I say we will,” the older man snapped.  _Such a damn whiner_ , he thought to himself.  “We have to be smart about this, Tommy,” he said, softening his voice a bit.  “I know you’re wanting vengeance for Spellman, I do too.  I know it hurt you to have to tell me that he had been killed,” he continued.  At this, the younger wolf nodded.

“He was my best friend,” he answered softly.  They had been through so much together, and now he was gone?  It still didn’t seem real.  _Gonna make sure they all pay_ , he thought to himself.  Especially Severide.  Where the hell was his loyalty?  Pridgen was their Alpha and they should’ve treated him with respect, not snap from him and join other packs or turn into a Loner.  Well, he would make sure that he wouldn’t get away with it, and he was sure his Alpha would help.  Pridgen could hardly contain his smirk.  Welch was so easily controlled, even without their bond, though it was fun to use against him.  Though he hadn’t really wanted Spellman dead, he could use the newest turn of events to his advantage.  All he had to do would use Welch’s friendship with the man and his sense of pack loyalty to get him to help him take vengeance on Severide and the rest of their former pack.  And why not?  He was well within his rights as an Alpha.  Wolves snapping from a pack was generally frowned upon, especially if they became Loners or Ferals like Kelly and Vince.  _Boy is going to pay for humiliating me,_ he thought to himself.  He couldn’t believe what he had done.  What had he been thinking?  Welch looked at Pridgen, his eyes clouding.  What was he thinking?  Was he planning something?  He hoped so.  He needed to avenge Harold.  _He shouldn’t have been killed.  He was just trying to get help for us_ , he thought to himself.  From what he had heard, Voight’s pack hadn’t even **tried** to help him, instead just mocking him.  How could they have betrayed him like that?  And how could the Elders stand for such disloyalty?  Wolves were supposed to look out for one another and no one had looked out for Harold.  While all of this was going on, the Elders had once more meeting.

“It’s official.  We have everything we need to deal with Patrick Pridgen,” Susan declared. 

“We’re sure?” Declan asked.

“Yes.  Rodney’s final report gave us the final piece of the puzzle,” Susan replied and the rest of the Elders nodded.  _That’s it then_ , Declan thought to himself.  Rodney’s eyes flickered.  _So glad that assignment’s over with_ , he thought to himself.  he hadn’t liked having to pretend that he was just like Pridgen and participate in unsolicited attacks on other wolves.  But at least it had been worth it in that they got the evidence they had needed to deal with him.  Now they just had to find the bastard.

“All right, now that we have all the information, what say the pack?”

“Death.”  When the word was uttered in unison, they all nodded.  Patrick Pridgen’s antics had gone on long enough and it was time to take action.  He had abused and terrorized wolves in his pack for the last time.  He would be dealt with accordingly, as would anyone of his followers.  _Don’t like having to enforce this law, but it is what it is_ , Susan thought to herself.  As one, the Elders headed out, each of them wearing the same serious expression.  Back at the precinct, Kelly watched as the officers went about their business.  _Okay, time to go_ , he thought to himself.  Erin really **did** need to get back to work.  And for that matter, so did **he**.  With that, he headed for the stairs.  **Kelly**.  Hearing Erin’s mental voice, he turned to see her looking at him in concern.  **I’m not leaving because I feel like I’m the way, I’m leaving because I need to get back to work myself**.  **You sure?** she asked.  **Yes** , he assured, smiling at her.  **Okay** , she said and he continued on his way, not really paying attention when footsteps came behind him.  It was  probably one of the district officers about to go out on patrol.  

“Kelly,” he heard a voice call and the firefighter slowed.  That was Voight.  Without a word, he turned, his expression curious.  “You don’t have to hurry off.  You’re **always** welcome here,” the older man assured.

“I know.  I just…I only asked for a short break and I don’t want to take advantage,” came the response and Voight nodded, watching as the younger man headed out.  _Glad he’s trusting me a little bit, but I know we still have a long way to go_ , he thought to himself.  And that was okay. He wasn’t going to push.  Trusting was hard for Kelly after everything Pridgen had done, and he had already taken him on faith regarding the case, so if that meant going slow with him, he’d do it.  He wasn’t going to spook him.  No, he’d let the kid go at his own pace and give him time.  As he drove back to Fifty-One, Kelly’s eyes clouded.  _Am I being too paranoid?  Voight and Dad were friends.  I don’t have to be afraid of him_ , he thought to himself.  Yeah, he knew this, but there was still a part of him that wanted to curl up in a ball and hide.  When he finally got back to the fire station, he parked and then went inside.

“Hey.  Everything okay?” Leslie asked.

“Yeah, things are good,” Kelly assured, smiling at her.  _Well, he doesn’t look upset_ , she thought to herself.  And if he wasn’t looking upset, and he didn’t act upset either, so she wasn’t going to be too worried unless he gave her a reason to be.  He was probably just thinking things through.  After all, he had gone through a lot lately, so it was no wonder that he was pensive.  _I trust them, but I don’t know if I can trust them enough to pledge fealty_ , he thought to himself.  And he knew that sounded really bad, but he just didn’t know what to do.  Pledging fealty was a big deal and he had been burned once before.  Then again, he knew Voight wasn’t Pridgen.  He wouldn’t hurt him, he knew that much.  Making a decision, he pulled his phone out, scrolled through his contacts, and went to the text option.  **_Can we talk later tonight?  You me, and Voight, I mean?_** he typed out and then sent the message.  Hearing her phone buzz, Erin dug the device out of her pocket and read the message.  **_Of course.  Is everything okay?_** she typed out and then pressed the “send” button.  **_Yeah, everything’s okay.  just got something to discuss with you that’s best done later tonight_** , he wrote back.  **_Okay_** , she responded.  _Wonder what’s going on_ , she thought to herself.  Well, he seemed he seemed to be okay, so it probably wasn’t anything bad.  Still, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to worry.

“Everything okay?” Jay asked.

“I’m not sure.  Kelly just texted me and asked if he could talk to me and Voight tonight,” Erin responded.

“Wow.  Sounds serious,” he commented.

“Yeah, that’s what worries me,” she responded.

“Hey, I’m sure everything’s fine,” he stated, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“What if it’s not?  What if he’s decided that he doesn’t want to be with me?” she worried.  _He doesn’t know my past.  He doesn’t know that I practically had to figure everything out for myself before Hank took me in_ , she thought to herself.  Her mother had been human and she had never known her father.

“Why would he ask Voight to be there if that was the case?”

“I don’t know!”

“Erin, look at me.”  Erin met her partner’s gaze as he stared at her seriously.

“Kelly would **never** leave you.  He **loves** you.  He’s nuts about you.  Everyone can see it.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”  She then nodded.  Jay was her best friend and he had never steered her wrong before.  So if he was insisting that Kelly would never hurt her, she’d believe it. 

“So, uh…when are you going to take the plunge with Sylvie Brett?” she queried.  At this, the male wolf looked at her in confusion.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh, come on!  Everyone can see the way you two have started to look at each other!” she told him with a laugh.

“She’d never go for me,” he objected.

“Sure she would!   You’re a great guy!” she encouraged him.  “You’re sweet, caring, considerate, protective…hell, I’d date you if I wasn’t into Kelly,” she added.

“I wouldn’t want to spook her.  She seems kind of quiet,” he stated.

“Well, there **is** that,” she allowed.  The blonde EMT **was** kind of quiet.  It was almost like she had been hurt or something.  _Wonder if we should look into that_ , she mused.  Or maybe she was just having a hard time turning off the cop part of her.  Yeah, that was probably it.  If something had happened, she would’ve told her Alpha.  Well, providing that they hadn’t been like Pridgen.  Okay, she had to stop thinking like this.  She would just focus on getting through the day and then meeting up with Kelly.  Speaking of which, she needed to let Hank know what the firefighter had requested.  Giving herself a mental shake, she went to the Alpha’s office, closing the door behind her.

“What’s up, Kiddo?” he queried.

“Kelly asked to speak with us later.”

“Everything okay?”

“He says yes.”  Hank nodded.  _Wonder what that’s about_ , he mused to himself. Well, they’d find out after shift.

“That it?”

“Yeah.”  Hank nodded as Erin walked out and then he refocused his attention on the paperwork on his desk.  Hours later, Erin and Hank drove to the firehouse and walked in.

“Head Alpha Voight.  What can I do for you?” Matt asked, walking up to him.

“Kelly here?” Hank questioned.

“Yeah, he’s in his office,” Matt replied.

“Thank you,” Hank said and headed there, walking in without announcing themselves, causing the younger man to look up from his paperwork.

“Head Alpha Voight.  Erin.  Thanks for meeting me here,” he said, standing up.

“Well, the text sounded serious.  What’s up?” Erin wondered.

“I’ve been thinking on it, and I want to pledge fealty.”


	9. Trusting

Hearing this, Hank’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah?” he asked.  _He’s finally trusting me enough?_ he wondered.

“Yes,” Kelly replied.  “I know I took a while considering that you and my dad know each other but---” he started to apologize.

“That doesn’t matter.  You’ve been through a lot,” Hank interrupted.  “The fact that you’re trusting me like this…it means…a lot.”  Kelly nodded.

“Should’ve trusted you sooner.  I mean, you used to hang with my dad a lot and---”

“Hey.  It’s all good.”  Kelly nodded.

“When were you thinking about doing it?” Erin wondered.  “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking,” she hastened to add.

“Don’t mind at all,” Kelly assured.  “And now is fine with me,” he continued.

“You sure?”              

“Yeah, my shift’s almost over and we can use this office for a bit.”  Voight nodded.

“Do you want me to leave?” Erin asked.

“No.  Stay, please,” Kelly replied.

“Okay,” Erin said.  Hank immediately went over to Kelly and took his hand.

“I know some things will be hard to share, but remember, I’ve got you,” he said and the younger man nodded.  Kelly then closed his eyes and exhaled.  Hank squeezed his hand and focused on the younger man, nudging at him mentally.  Feeling the slight pressure on his head, Kelly forced himself to relax.  It was going to be fine.  He’d just start off with some of his earliest memories.  _Can’t believe I’m doing this_ , Hank thought to himself.  Even though he was happy with the turn of the events, he had to admit, it felt a little awkward to be poking around the head of Benny’s son.  He pushed this thought away and focused on the image that was starting to appear. _Kelly and Benny wrestled a bit as Abigail watched, shaking her head._

_“Whatever you boys break, you’re fixing, Benny,” she cautioned._

_“Don’t worry,” the man dismissed._

_“Famous last words,” she murmured._ Hank smiled at the memory.   Yeah, that sounded like Benny all right.  He then watched as other memories came at him, smiling at some, frowning at others.  Kelly’s eyes flickered.   _Feels weird having someone else in my head again_ , he thought to himself.

“You okay?” Hank asked, seeing this.

“Yeah, just not used to having another presence in my head like this.  We’re good,” he assured.  Hearing this, Erin squeezed his hand and he smiled at her.  _So glad she’s here_ , he thought to himself.  Then, he focused again and let his body relax even more.  A few moments later, he smiled as an image of his eighth birthday popped into his head. _Kelly grinned as the others sang ‘happy birthday’ and he blew out the candles when they were done._

_“Happy birthday, Sweetie,” Abigail said._

_“Thanks, Mom,” he_ _said and she kissed the top of his head._  Hank smiled seeing the scene.  After this, Kelly let more and more images come and the older wolf took it all in, the good and the bad, his eyes flickering as he saw the firefighter growing up before his eyes, including his first transformation at thirteen.  _Kelly let out a cry as pain coursed through his body and he fell to his knees._

_“Easy, Kelly.  Breathe,” Benny soothed, kneeling next to his son._

_“Hurts,” he grunted._

_“I know,” the man_ _said.  “Deep breaths, kiddo.  Don’t fight the change.  You’ll be okay,” he told him._   Erin squeezed Kelly’s hand and Hank’s eyes clouded with sympathy.  The first change was always the worst, even if you **did** know what to expect, because it was the only change that happened outside of your control.  It had been hell for him and from what he could see, it had been hell for Kelly as well.  The memories continued, showing the older wolf Kelly as he had grown up, causing him to smile.  Once more, the memories continued until Kelly reached college age.  When                                              she saw the firefighter tensing up, Erin squeezed his hand reassuringly.

“It’s okay,” she murmured and with a nod, he brought the next images forth and Hank focused on those. 

_“You need to choose an Alpha,” Benny said._

_“I know.  It just needs to feel right,” Kelly replied._

_“I get it,” Benny stated with a nod._   The scene then shifted.  _“So, you’re sure about this?” Scott asked.  “Yeah.  I need a pack,” Kelly replied._   And then---there was a black wall and Kelly’s breathing hitched.  _No.  Can’t let him see this.  He’ll change his mind about me and won’t let me bond with Erin if I ask later_ , he worried.

“Easy, Kelly.  I’ve gotcha,” Hank soothed.  He had been pretty relaxed with his earlier memories, but now they had reached the time that the younger wolf had submitted to Pridgen, so it was no wonder that this made him nervous.  Kelly sighed and forced himself to relax and let the images come.  As they did so, Hank focused, watching as Kelly submitted to  Pridgen.  Hank’s eyes flickered.  _So far, so good_ , he thought to himself.  However, he knew it was going to get worse.  _Kelly flinched as Pridgen slammed him against the wall._

_“What the hell do you think you were doing?” the man demanded._

_“I’m sorry, Alpha,” Kelly said._

_“Not yet, but you’re going to be,” Pridgen promised darkly._   Seeing him tense even more, Erin squeezed Kelly’s hand and nuzzled the crook of his neck with her chin.  **You’re safe** , she reminded him.  **We can stop** , Hank offered.  **No, it’s fine** , Kelly assured.  _Kelly shifted and pounced on Pridgen who had been straddling April, causing him to fall to the ground.  For a few moments they grappled, but eventually, Kelly found himself pinned with the other man’s hand around his neck. **Submit!** Pridgen barked and Kelly immediately went into the submissive position.  **Shift** , he ordered.  Moments later, the firefighter was in his_ _human form._

_“Strip,” Pridgen ordered._

_“No,” Kelly defied as he went to shove the man off of himself.  However, the Alpha saw the move coming and instantaneously shifted into the wolf, his jaws closing around a wrist, resulting in a cry of pain. **Strip** , Pridgen commanded.  With a slump of his shoulders, Kelly went to do so._  Hank’s eyes shone and he had to suppress a growl of rage as the images came.  He couldn’t believe that this had happened!  Yes, he had been told about it when he had started investigating the man, but seeing it in vivid detail like this was a whole another matter.  Erin repeated her nuzzling gesture, giving him a comforting kiss on the side of his neck.  **You’re safe.  He can’t hurt you like that anymore** , she remind him.  **I know** , he assured her, giving her a smile.   _How the hell can I ask him to submit to me after what I just saw?_   _It’s amazing he didn’t go Feral like Keeler did_ , Hank thought to himself.  **I still want to submit** , he heard Kelly say and he blinked in surprise.  **Are you sure?  I mean** ….he trailed off.  **I trust you.  I know you’re not him** , came the response.  Hank nodded.  _So glad I have his trust_ , he thought to himself.  Immediately, he shifted into his wolf form, which was grey with some white, and Kelly followed suit, stepping closer to the older wolf, keeping his body small.  When he was close enough, he leaned forward and dropped one of his shoulders.  Immediately, Hank sank his teeth into the skin, drawing blood.  Hearing the slight whimper, Erin quickly shifted and went over to them, nuzzling Kelly’s shoulder reassuringly.  **We’ve got you** , she told him, licking him and he leaned into her.  A few moments later, Hank pulled away and then dropped his shoulder, the cue for Kelly to repeat the action that had just been taken.  Hesitantly, the younger wolf bit into the shoulder, the coppery taste of the older wolf’s blood in his mouth a moment later.  **Mine** , Hank said, going to nudge at Kelly mentally.  **Yours** , Kelly agreed and almost immediately, the familiar pressure of an Alpha’s presence enveloped him and one by one, Erin, Jay, Antonio, and Nadia looked up as they felt a new presence joining them.  _It’s done. I’m officially bonded to him_ , he thought to himself.  **Ours** , Erin, Jay, Antonio, and Nadia chorused.  **Yours** , Kelly repeated and their presences all wrapped around one another.  **Mine** , Hank repeated.  **Yours** , they all responded together.  _Wow.  I forgot how heady it could be_ , Kelly thought to himself.   **Kelly, do you promise to guard and protect everyone in this pack?  Erin, Jay, Antonio, Nadia, and me?** Hank queried, his voice serious, stretching his paws out to him.  **I do, Alpha** , Kelly replied, making his body small and placing his paws on the Alpha’s.  **Do the rest of you accept Kelly into the pack and promise to guard and protect him?** Hank asked.  **We do, Alpha** , they all responded.  **It is done** , Hank intoned and Kelly’s eyes flickered.  It was done.  He was now bonded to the entire pack.  And strangely enough, it felt like a family.  _It feels different than when I pledged fealty to Pridgen_ , he thought to himself.  When he had joined with Pridgen, the only wolves he had felt were family were Scott and April.  Feeling a slight pressure on his paws, Kelly looked up as Hank put a paw on Kelly’s shoulder in a fatherly manner.  **You are mine.  Mine to guard, guide, and protect.  You will never be hurt by us**, he promised and the younger wolf nodded.  **I know** , he said.  Erin playfully bit his ear and Hank chuckled.  Just then, there was a knock on the door.  Immediately, they all shifted and made sure they were all presentable before Kelly opened the door to reveal the lieutenant for Third Watch.  
       “Sorry, man.  We were discussing something and lost track of time,” he apologized.

“It’s okay,” the other man responded.  Kelly then walked out of the office, Hank and Erin close behind him.  Meanwhile, Jay and Antonio were on a patrol.

“So, where do you think Pridgen ran off to?” Jay wondered and the other officer shrugged.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Antonio responded.  “He just better hope that he never shows his face around here.  Voight wouldn’t let him live even if the Elders were lenient with him,” he added.  _And neither would I_ , he thought to himself.   Yes, he was a bit judgmental when it came to Alphas who hurt members of their pack.  Not that he had any experience with it.  He just felt an instinctual urge to protect any wolf that had been hurt.  Maybe it was part of being a Beta, he wasn’t sure.  But he wasn’t about to ask.  He wasn’t **that** stupid, thank you very much.   Still, it probably wouldn’t hurt to find out what drove him to such lengths to protect the other members of the pack.  Not that it really mattered, he supposed.  He was just curious.   While all of this was going on, the Elders had met up with one another.

“So no one’s seen any sign of Pridgen or Welch?” Raymond queried and everyone shook their heads.

“I’ve been trying to think of where he would go, but I’m coming up blank,” Rodney stated.

“Can you get into his head?” Susan asked.

“Not without tipping him off to who I really am.  He still thinks I’m just a lowly Omega.”  At this, everyone nodded.  Unfortunately, the man was right.  Omegas didn’t have the ability to enter a wolf’s mind, so if he tried to do it with Pridgen, it would tip their hand.  “But I mean, if you think it’s our best shot, I’ll---”

“No.  We’re not going to ruin your hard work.”  At this, the Rover nodded.  He trusted them and he’d follow their lead.  And if they wanted to wait before making a move on Pridgen, so be it.  Did he like it?  Not particularly.  He wasn’t really fond of sitting on something like this, but he’d do it if he was being ordered to, which he was.  Back at Pridgen’s new location, the man had started packing.

“Alpha?” Tommy asked in confusion.  _What’s he doing?  I thought we were staying here_ , he thought to himself. 

“Changed my mind.  We’re going back to Chicago,” Pridgen declared.  Hearing this, Tommy immediately went to pack his own things.  _Finally!  Sick of hiding_ , he thought to himself.  Hopefully, this meant that they were going to avenge Harold’s death.  He had no clue if they were, but he was hoping.  Not that he could voice this question, as Alpha Pridgen didn’t take kindly to his pack asking stupid questions, but it didn’t change the fact that he was curious.  Then again, he supposed that it didn’t matter.  They were returning to Chicago and he would get the chance to avenge Harold.  That’s all he really wanted: to avenge Harold.  And now Pridgen was giving him that chance.  Once they were all packed, they headed out.  _So glad we’re doing this.  Gonna make things right_ , Tommy thought to himself.  And that was all that mattered.  He wanted to make sure that his friend’s death wasn’t in vain.  Once both men were packed, they headed out.  _I’ll make sure things return to normal_ , he thought to himself.  And normal was Severide remembering his place as a Rover.  A Rover.  Damn unnatural, if you asked him.  A wolf was supposed to have a certain place in a pack, not flit about to each position as it suited them.  And that was all he had been trying to teach Severide: pick a position in the pack and stick with it.  Instead, he had gotten uppity and tried to challenge him.  Well, that wasn’t going to fly anymore.  Severide was going to have to learn once and for all where his place in the world was and he was going to teach him this.  Tommy didn’t say anything as they drove, just watched the scenery go by.  _Can’t he go faster?_ he thought to himself.  They needed to get to Chicago so that they could avenge Harold.  Even if no one else had cared about Harold, **he** did.  And that was why he was going to make sure that his death didn’t go unavenged.  His eyes then clouded as Pridgen continued driving.  Several hours later, they entered Chicago city limits and Tommy smirked.  Finally.  As the sign for the city limits came into view, Pridgen’s eyes darkened before shining a brilliant gold.  Kelly was going to pay for chasing him out of Chicago.  The mutt had forgotten his place, he but he would remind him just where he belonged, and if anyone tried to stop him, he’d take care of **them** too. 


	10. Reaching A Decision

Hours later, Kelly walked up to his apartment and tried the knob, smiling when he found it unlocked.  _Shay must be home_ , he thought to himself as he walked in.  Shay had been amazing and supportive.

“Shay?” he asked.

“Kitchen,” she responded and he walked up to her.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey, yourself,” she responded.

“I wanna…thank you again.  For staying with me, I mean.  I know it probably messed some things up with---” the firefighter began to apologize.

“Oh don’t even go there.  She gets it,” the medic interrupted.

“But you guys---” he started to say.

“Hey, Clarice gets it,” she interrupted again.

“Okay.”  _So lucky_ , he thought to himself.  How had he gotten so lucky?  He had a pack, a girlfriend, and Shay was helping him out here.  Okay, maybe it was too soon to say that he and Erin were boyfriend and girlfriend, but he didn’t really care, to be honest.  At least, when it was just to himself.  He rather liked the idea.

“And Clarice likes you.”  Kelly nodded.  She right: his friend’s girlfriend **did** seem to like him, for which he was grateful for.  But still…he needed to give Shay and Clarice some room.  But he wasn’t really sure where he would go.  He didn’t want to just assume that Erin would be okay with him moving in.  It was too soon to be thinking about moving in.  She was an Alpha, and he was just a Rover.  Okay, so she didn’t think that way, but still…he didn’t want to overstep.  He had gotten lucky when she had agreed to bond with him.  Okay, he knew had to stop thinking like that.  They didn’t see him like that.  It was just… **hard** to not slip into that mindset.  But he was going to do his best on this this one.  He had people that cared about him.  That would take some getting used to.  Not that Scott and April didn’t care about him, because he knew they **did** , but they had been busy creating a pack of their own, just the two of them.  This was different.  Now he had a whole plethora of people looking out for him.  That was going to take some getting used to.  _Still don’t get why people are looking out for me_ , he thought to himself.  As if sensing what he was thinking, the liaison nudged him.

“I see where those thoughts are heading, Mister,” she scolded.  “And people are looking out for you because they love you and they care about you.”

“How is it that you know me so well?”

“Because it’s my business to know wolves and what makes them tick.”  At this, Kelly grinned.

“True.”  Then, “How’d you fall into being a liaison, anyway?  I mean, there’s not a lot of people---humans or wolves---who want to deal with the politics of it.”

       “My mom was a liaison and she taught me that a good relationship between the species was important and needed to be protected at all costs.”  He nodded.  That made sense.

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Yeah.  I mean there are good parts and bad parts but yeah, I’m happy where I am.”  He nodded again.

“That’s good.”  They had become closer friends since he had moved in with her and Clarice and he wanted her to be happy.  She smiled back at him.  “But I’m still gonna see what I can do about getting back to my apartment.”

“Hey, you know what Head Alpha Voight said.  You can’t stay there while Pridgen and his cronies are still at large.  It’d be the first place they looked.”  At this he sighed.

“I know.  It just sucks.”  Leslie looked at him sympathetically and reached up to squeeze his shoulder.  _Wish I knew how to help him_ , she thought to herself.  They had been friends for a long time now and yet there was still a distance between them due to the whole wolf and human thing.  Not that he had ever acted like he was better than her or anything, but she knew that if he wanted to, he could easily kill her with ease, as could any other wolf, though she knew that they wouldn’t be prone to such actions.  Okay, this train of thought was getting out of hand.  She needed to focus on things, which was making sure that Kelly didn’t fall into a bad slump of some sort.  And knowing him, it could happen.  So yeah, she was going to make sure that it didn’t.  _Not losing him now_ , she thought to herself.  He was too important to her.  And from what she could tell, his new pack felt the same.  _And that’s good.  They’ll watch out for him_ , she thought to herself.  And that was something that he desperately needed: people looking out for him.  He didn’t have enough of it in her opinion.  Well it wasn’t going to continue.  No, she was going to make sure that Kelly knew how much he was loved and valued.

“It’ll all be over soon.”  At this, Kelly nodded.  _Wish I could be as sure as her_ , he thought to himself.  How could be so sure that everything would be over soon?  Seeing the unsure expression, Leslie smiled at Kelly. “I know this because Head Alpha Voight is a hard ass who doesn’t let anything happen to his pack.  We’ve all seen this.  He’ll make sure that this doesn’t drag on.”  Hearing this, Kelly nodded.  It was a good point.  Every wolf in Chicago knew of the Head Alpha’s reputation.  And if he said he was going to take care of something, it was as good as taken care of.  It was just… **hard** …leaving something like this to someone else.  For so long, he could only depend on himself, Scott, and April when it came to wolf things.  Having a whole pack that actually cared about him would take some getting used to.  While this was going on, Pridgen and Welch had gotten into Chicago and were heading for a hotel.  As he did so, the Head Alpha frowned in concentration. **Briggs!**   he called.  Hearing the voice and slight pressure in his mind, Rodney’s head shot up.  _Back in town, is he?  Okay.  Time to play_ , he thought to himself. **Yes, Head Alpha Pridgen?** he asked, his eyes turning grey.  **Tommy and I are heading to the Marriot on Fourth Street.  Meet us there** , came the command, his voice reverberating in the other wolf’s head.  **Yes, Head Alpha** , he responded and a moment later, he felt the pressure leave, and he smiled, his eyes returning to his natural silver color.  Pridgen still had no clue what he was.  He thought he was Omega, and to him, Omegas were weak and not worthy of respect.  He would be able to use that at the meeting he had just called.  **Raymond?** he called.  **Yes, Rodney?** he heard him ask.  **Patrick just called me to a meeting with him and Welch and wants me to meet them at the Marriot on Fourth Street** , he reported.  **Go to the meeting.  I’ll keep an eye on you** , Raymond instructed.  **You got it** , Rodney agreed and then headed out.  _This ought to be interesting_ , Raymond thought to himself.  Of course, viewing things from another wolf’s eyes was **always** interesting.  And that was what he was going to do with Rodney: spy on the meeting, using the younger wolf’s eyes.  Without another word, Rodney headed to the meeting, only letting out a soft grunt as he felt the other Elder’s presence in his head.  It would feel a little weird, but it’d help them prove their suspicions about Pridgen, so he wasn’t that bothered by it.  _Once he’s gone, packs will be safe again_ , he thought to himself.  And that’s all he wanted: for Kelly and others like him to feel safe.  He then walked in to the hotel and glanced around until he spotted the other two men.  _Wonder how they got here so fast_ , he mused.  Last he had head, Pridgen had left Chicago.  Well, obviously, he was back, which meant that he had probably arrived before calling him.  Okay, this would be fun.  Not.  He then shoved his musings aside as he sat down.  Riddle’s eyes clouded in concentration as he watched Rodney sit down.

“Why are we here, Head Alpha Pridgen?” he heard the younger wolf ask.

“Because we have a situation that needs to be taken care of,” Pridgen replied.  “Kelly Severide is running loose and knowing him, he’s probably spread some harsh lies about me.  I need to nip it in the bud.  I want you and Tommy to find him and bring him to me so that we can talk.”  Riddle watched as the other two wolves nodded.

“Of course, Alpha,” Welch responded.  _Getting so sick of Severide.  He needs to be taken care of_ , he thought to himself.  The guy had betrayed their pack by snapping and betrayals were often severely punished.  Alpha Pridgen had actually been merciful by not killing him yet, but he knew that that mercy would soon be coming to an end.  _Kelly never should’ve snapped from me.  I’ll show him what happens when one of my pack betrays me_ , Pridgen thought to himself.  And the best part was that he had their laws to back him up.  The boy had snapped from him, hadn’t pledged fealty to another pack, so all he had to do was kill the kid and then claim that he had gone Feral.  He would get Welch or Briggs to attack him to substantiate the claims and no one would be none the wiser.  Riddle’s eyes darkened as he scowled and he had to resist the urge to let out a roar his disapproval.  No need to give poor Briggs a headache.  It wasn’t his fault that the Alpha was two different kinds of crazy.

“When do you want to strike, Alpha?” Riddle heard Rodney ask. 

“As soon as possible,” Pridgen stated.  _I’ll show the boy what happens when someone betrays me_ , he thought to himself.  Severide’s disobedience wouldn’t be tolerated.  And he would give him what he deserved.  Then Scott and April would fall in line and everything would be just like it was supposed to be again.  _Can’t wait for that_ , he thought to himself as his lips curved into a terrible grin.  His rule over his pack would be re-established and he would **finally** be recognized by the Elders enough to be made into a Head Alpha.  Everyone knew that they respected displays of power.  And taking care of insubordinate wolves would certainly be that.  It was a good plan and one that would come to fruition soon.  He just had to wait until tonight.  Then, he would track Severide down and kill him, followed by Scott and April.  _Yes, going to be great_ , he thought.  _Finally!  Vengeance_ , Tommy thought to himself.  He wouldn’t be letting Harold down.  Harold deserved justice and he was going to make sure that he got it.  Rodney’s eyes flickered.  **Raymond, are you getting this?** he asked.  **I am**, Raymond assured.  And he had to confess, that he didn’t like it.  From what he was hearing, Pridgen had gone completely off of his rocker.  _Going to have to discuss this with the others_ , he thought to himself.  But if it was just up to him, he’d have Patrick Pridgen put down.  _And that’s why we became a council.  To make sure that Elders didn’t just react on an initial feeling_ , he thought to himself.  In his opinion, it was more the pity in this case.  All right, he had to stop this train of thought as it wasn’t doing any good.  But Patrick Pridgen **would** be dealt with.  They just needed the right moment.  After all, this required a little finesse.  But it would **absolutely** be taken care of.  Patrick would learn that he couldn’t bully other wolves and get away with it.  Frowning, he went back into his office and sat down.  Almost immediately, there was a knock on the door.

“Enter!” he called and the door opened to reveal Susan who walked in, closing the door behind her.

“How close are we to getting something on Pridgen?” she queried.

“I think we can finally do something about him,” he responded.  “I just got through listening in on a conversation between him, Rodney, and Thomas Welch.  Pridgen just ordered them to bring Kelly Severide to him,” he continued.

“That won’t do at all,” Susan murmured.  “All right.  We’ll take care of this tonight,” she declared.  _Not letting him go through with whatever he has planned_ , she thought to herself.  They had to put a stop to this before they lost another wolf.  Pridgen’s antics had gone on long enough.  It was time to mete out justice.  She looked at the other members of the Council and they all nodded, indicating that they had come to the same conclusion.  It was decided then. Patrick Pridgen’s fate had been sealed.     


	11. Show Of Trust

That night, Kelly grinned as Erin gently pinned him to her bed.

“Okay, now remember, you promised me that you’d tell me if you were uncomfortable with anything,” she stated, her eyes clouded with concern.

“Just kiss me you goof,” he responded.  **I trust you completely** , he added.  Hearing this, Erin grinned and kissed him, caressing his sides, causing him to moan.  _Damn, she’s hot_ , he thought to himself.  How had he gotten so lucky?  Erin’s grin grew as she continued caressing Kelly’s body, relishing the way the flesh felt under her touch.  Feeling his body quiver, she glanced up and her smile turned relieved as she saw the lust in his eyes.  Okay.  She wasn’t hurting him or making him feel uncomfortable.  Good to know.  She repeated her actions and then began trailing kisses up and down his body, eliciting a lustful moan from the firefighter as he arched into her touch.  The things she did to him…it was amazing.  Erin couldn’t help the grin that grew as she continued her ministrations.  This was different from when they had mated because they were in heat.  Then they had been driven by animalistic instincts, just wanting the closest body they could find.  Now though…it was a whole different ball game.  Now the movements were slower, more sensual.  Kelly moaned as Erin continued what she was doing, adding playful nips to the kisses.  _Holy crap.  She is going to be the death of me_ , he thought to himself.  Erin’s eyes shone an amber gold.  Play.  Her wolf wanted out and it wanted to play.  It wanted to show her lover what making love was **really** like.  But she couldn’t let it happen.  Could she?   

“Kelly?”

“Yeah?”

“My wolf wants out.  Is it okay if I shift?”  Kelly looked at her, confusion in his eyes.  Why was she asking his permission?  He didn’t outrank her pack-wise.  No, they were on equal footing, even though he was a Rover.  **I don’t want to hurt you or make you afraid of me** , she told him, reading the questions in his eyes.  Ah.  That’s what this was about.  She didn’t want to accidentally make him flash back to Pridgen.  _Damn, this girl is amazing_ , he thought to himself.  **Love that you’re thinking of me, but I promise, you can do whatever you want.  I know you would never deliberately hurt me**, he assured.  Erin smiled and then shifted and Kelly smiled as she pounced on him playfully, licking his neck.  He laughed and ran his fingers through her fur. 

“So beautiful,” he murmured.  Then, he shifted and he playfully nipped at her.  **Bond with me?** Erin asked.   **Don’t I need Sergeant Voight’s permission?** he asked.  **No** , Erin replied.  At this, Kelly let out a snuffle and nipped at her again, this time drawing blood.  He then licked at the wound, swallowing some of the blood, blinking a bit as a tremor ran through him.  A moment later, Erin did the same, shuddering slightly at the tremor. **You okay?** Kelly checked.  **I’m okay** , Erin assured and he blinked at the reverberation in his head.  _Wow.  Didn’t expect **that** to happen_ , he thought.  That was loud.  Louder than the other times she had talked to him.  **You okay?** Erin asked.  **Yeah.  that’s just louder and more reverb than I’m used to** , Kelly responded and the female wolf nodded.  **Got it.  I, uh…wasn’t sure what it’d be like either.  From what I’ve heard, it’s different for everyone** , she commented and the other wolf made a snuffling noise of agreement.  Then, he shifted back and held her close.  A moment later, she shifted back and snuggled into him.  _Wow.  We’re bonded. **We** are bonded_ , she thought to herself, a smile on her face.  It was amazing.  While this was going on, Hank was looking over the files he had compiled on Pridgen.  _Glad we were able to convince Dylan and Frank to talk some more.  Without them, we wouldn’t have known that Pridgen was behind the drug ring that’s been plaguing the city_ , he silently mused.  Of course, given the fact that no one could **find** the guy, this information was useless at the moment.  But as soon as they had him and Welch, things would be different.  And he couldn’t wait for that.  Yes, he could admit that he was feeling impatient.  He wanted this over and done with.  He was sick of searching for this jackass and wanted him gone.  And okay, he was feeling protective of Kelly and knew that as long as the two members of his old pack were out and about, he would never truly feel safe.  He could see it in the kid’s eyes.  The way he was hesitant about things.  He didn’t like it and he was going to do whatever he could the wipe that thought process out of the kid’s mind.  _Damn.  How did Pridgen get away with it for so long?_ he wondered.  It just wasn’t right.  Out on patrol, Kim frowned.  It seemed like the whole city was on edge, and she had no idea why. 

“Hey, you okay?”  Startled at Sean’s voice, she jumped slightly and then gave him a reassuring smile. 

“Yeah, I’m all right.”

“You sure?  I mean…I know things have been tense sense that wolf died.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Look, I know…it’s pretty scary…having to be extra careful cause of some wolf war going on, but---”

“What?!  No!  Sean, it’s not **that**!  I’m not worried about them coming after us!  The Elders will handle it.”  _Why is he so suspicious of wolves?_ Kim wondered to herself.  It didn’t make any sense.  Sure the wolves could be dangerous, but so could humans, especially some of the suspects that they had handled.  At this, Sean’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.  _Why is she so calm about the fact that the wolves have gone completely psycho?_ he wondered to himself.  It was almost like she trusted them more than she trusted humans, which in his mind was just plain stupid.  Wolves could and **would** tear a person apart when they were provoked.  Humans on the other hand, were **way** more civilized.  He just had to get Kim to see this, but how?  How could he get her to understand how dangerous these creatures were?  Why was she being so blasé about this?  _I need to make her understand how dangerous these creatures are_ , he thought to himself.  Werewolves were menaces that needed to be removed.  Why couldn’t she see this?  It was almost as if she was blind to the wolves and their faults.  _I need to get her to see the truth_ , he thought to himself.  But how was he going to do that?  How was he going to get her to see things the way he did?  How was he going to open her eyes?  There had to be a way.  He just had to find it.  But he had a feeling that that was going to be easier said than done.  Kim bit her lip.  _He’d never understand_ , she thought to herself.  Wolves had saved her life.  She owed them everything.  Without the werewolves, she wouldn’t even be here.  Not that she would ever say this.  No, what had happened to her was nobody’s business but her own.  For a moment, her mind went back. _Kim screamed as she fought off her attacker.  Without warning, a blur of fur flew through the air, knocking the man off of her.  There was snapping and growling as her attacker started struggling.  He managed to shove the wolf off and headed for Kim and almost instantly, a whole pack of wolves had positioned themselves around her, placing her in a protective circle._

“Burgess!”  Kim gave herself a mental shake at Roman’s voice.

“Yeah, what?” she queried.

“Where’d you go?” her partner asked in concern.  _She doesn’t usually space like that_ , he thought to himself.  What was going on with her?

“Sorry.  I was just thinking,” she apologized.  _He’d never understand.  It didn’t happen to him_ , she thought to herself.  If it hadn’t been for the wolf pack that had saved her, she’d be dead.  Not that she knew who the wolf pack even **was** , but that was beside the point.  The point was that she owed the wolves her life and she wasn’t ever going to betray them.  _It’d be nice to know who they were so I could properly thank them_ , she thought to herself.  However, she had a feeling that that wasn’t ever going to happen and she had to just learn to deal with it. 

“Hey…you know you can tell me anything, right?” Sean asked.  “I mean, I know we don’t always see eye-to-eye on things, but---” he began to say.

“Yes, I know.  And it’s appreciated,” she interrupted.  “This is just…it’s complicated,” she said.

“Try me,” he retorted and despite herself, she laughed.  That was typical Sean for you.  He never shied away from the hard topics.  But could she really tell him about this?  She had told Sergeant Voight of course, but that was more because she sometimes had flashbacks and crap and had been afraid that he’d toss her out on her ass.  But of course he had proved that her fears were unfounded.  And here Sean was, offering to be a listening ear.  _Well, here goes nothing_ , she thought to herself.

“I was attacked…while I was in the Academy,” she confessed.

“What?  Who did it?” he demanded, his eyes darkening angrily.  Someone had hurt her?  He’d kill them.

“Already taken care of,” she assured.  _Looks like I was worried for nothing_ , she thought.  She should’ve known Sean would have her back.

“What do you mean?” he wondered.

“I was rescued by werewolves.  They protected me, took care of the attacker,” she replied and her partner’s eyes flickered as he nodded.

“And that’s why you’re tolerant of them,” he commented.  _It makes sense.  They apparently saved her life_ , he thought to himself.  But what if it had all been a trick?  They were smart like that.  But then again, maybe he was letting the way he had grown up cloud his judgment.  His parents had been pretty anti-werewolf and he had adopted the same attitude.   That wasn’t to say they hadn’t had a good reason.  After all, his uncle had been killed by a wolf.  So maybe he needed to step away from this.  At least for the time being.  After all, the last thing he wanted to do was upset his partner.  While all of this was going on, Tommy and Rodney were searching for Kelly.  **Alpha Riddle, I need to put a stop to this**.  **I can’t let Tommy find Kelly Severide if he’s loyal to Pridgen** , Rodney stated.  **Where are you now?  We’ll meet you there** , Raymond stated and the younger wolf told him where they were.  There.  _That should do it.  That should take one person out of the game_ , he thought to himself.  Hopefully that’d be enough to get Pridgen to back down.  Without another word, Raymond headed out, only stopping long enough to collect Susan and they went to the location.  Once there, they knocked and the door opened to reveal Tommy Welch.

“Head Alphas Riddle and Jessup, what are you…?” he began to ask.  _What’s going on?_ he wondered.

“Come with us please,” Susan interrupted, her voice brusque.  _This must be about Harold.  They want to know what could’ve happened_ , he realized.  They were looking into it.  He could tell them how Severide had broken ranks and had gone nuts.

“Of course,” he replied and then followed them to the Elders place of business and into an office.

“Sit down, please,” Raymond requested and warily, Tommy did so.  _They look so serious_ , he thought to himself.  Then again, a wolf disrespecting their Alpha **was** serious business, so their expressions made sense.  _Okay, they’ll want testimony of the disrespect and the disobedience_ , he thought to himself.  And he could give them several instances of when Alpha Pridgen had had to take control of Severide’s mind to make him obey as he should.

“There have been some serious accusations against Alpha Pridgen,” Susan told him.

“Against **Alpha Pridgen**?” Tommy repeated, not even hiding his surprise.  _Who the hell spoke against him?_ he thought to himself. That didn’t make sense.  It was **Severide** who had disobeyed.

“He has been charged with abuse of his pack and leading an attack of a member of your pack, Kelly Severide, which led to his hospitalization,” Raymond replied. 

“That’s absurd!  Alpha Pridgen would **never** hurt us!  And how should **we** know who hurt Kelly?  He snapped from us!” Tommy exclaimed.  _Who went to them?  Rodney?_ he wondered.  For sure, it wasn’t him.  And Harold wouldn’t either.  They knew how to be loyal, unlike Severide, Rice, and Sexton.  He just had to figure out how he was going to explain this.  “If we had had an **inkling** that he was in trouble, we would’ve been there in a heartbeat,” he added.  _There.  That should be convincing_ , he thought to himself.  Almost immediately, the door opened and Tommy’s eyes widened.  _What’s Briggs doing here?_ he thought.  Then again, he supposed it didn’t matter as the man was like him.  “Here, ask Rodney.  He’ll tell you,” he commented.

“Sorry I’m late, guys,” he responded as he went to sit with the Elders, causing Tommy’s jaw to drop in surprise.  _What’s going on?_ he wondered.  Nothing was making sense.

“Quite all right,” Raymond responded.

“What do you have to report for us, Rodney?” Susan queried.

“If I may, I’d like to link up with you all so that you can see all that I was witness to,” Rodney replied and all of the elders nodded.  One-by-one, the man nudged each of the Elder’s minds and their eyes darkened as the images began to appear.  Back at Erin’s house, her mind was racing a mile a minute.  _So happy_ , she thought to herself as a smile graced her features.  Then, a loud rumbling filled the room and she flushed in embarrassment.  Damn…her stomach had been **loud**. 

“Hmm…sounds like you need to feed that,” Kelly chuckled.

“Yeah, and I haven’t gone grocery shopping yet, so all I have is some leftover meat and stew,” she replied.

“Why don’t I go pick up some Chinese from Won Ton’s?” he suggested.

“That sounds great, but are you sure?” she asked.

“Yeah, I don’t mind.  What do you like?”

“I like it all.”

“Awesome.” With that, Kelly got out of the bed, got dressed, and headed out.  While this was going on, Patrick was roaming around town.  **Tommy, where are you?** he barked.  **In with the Elders.  It’s bad, Alpha.  Briggs is one of them.  They know what we did to Kelly** , came the response.  **WHAT!?** Patrick shouted, his question coming out as a growl.  Rodney had betrayed him.  How dare he?!  Okay, so he had two wolves to take care of.  But Severide first.  He just had to find him first.  Squaring his shoulders, he conjured the younger wolf up in his mind and let his mind stretch out.  Severide.  He needed to find Severide.  **Kelly, where are you?** he asked, bringing the younger man to the forefront of his mind.  Despite the fact that he was no longer pack, he could easily slip into his mind and see where he was.  And once he had the location, he would be able to go to him and kill him.  With a smirk, he focused on the brain pattern that he remembered from Severide and headed towards him.  Then---ran into concrete wall.  _What the?_ He wondered.  How could Severide’s mind be blocked off from him?  That only happened when a wolf was officially part of a pack and had decided to only allow the pack or wolves they had a connection to in, and everyone knew that was something the firefighter would **never** do.  _Looks like I’m going to have to do this the hard way_ , he thought to himself.  With that, he quickly shifted into his wolf form and began trotting off, focusing intently as he searched for the younger wolf’s scent.  He knew it well and it’d be pretty easy to find him.  As he ran down the street, he sniffed the air, and when he finally found the scent, he quickened his pace, a sinister grin gracing the wolf’s features.  Once Kelly had finally reached Won Ton’s, he parked, got out of the car, and headed for the entrance.  He had almost reached the door when something lunged at him, knocking him to the ground.  _What the hell?_ he wondered as he tried to get his bearings.  Hearing the snapping of teeth, he quickly twisted to meet the threat.  When he saw Pridgen, he immediately shifted and lunged at the older wolf who simply tossed him across the street, resulting in a yelp from the younger wolf.  Without a single thought, Pridgen leaped on top of Kelly.  **You’re mine** , he snarled.  **Erin, get Voight!** Kelly called.  As soon as she heard her mate’s frantic voice, Erin’s eyes darkened.  **Hank, Kelly’s in trouble** , she reported.  **Where is he?** Hank asked as he immediately left his home.  **He was heading over to Won Ton’s** , she responded as she headed out.  **We’ll be right there** , he promised.  **Halstead, Dawson, Kelly’s in trouble.  He’s near Won Ton’s** , he conveyed.  As soon as they heard this, the two detectives headed out.  Kelly struggled against Pridgen’s hold, snarling loudly.  _Not letting him do this_ , he thought to himself.  Pridgen had terrorized him long enough.  Summoning his strength, Kelly leaned forward, letting his teeth sink into Pridgen’s shoulder, causing the man to let out a howl of rage as he fell back.  A moment later, Pridgen snapped his teeth at Kelly menacingly and then glanced back to see various wolves watching them. **Shoot him!  He’s gone Feral!** he shouted, making sure to put the proper amount of fear and worry into the mental tone as he saw Voight arrive with a few of his detectives.  _This is perfect.  He’ll be killed by an Alpha and I’ll be in the clear_ , he thought to himself.  Everyone knew that Ferals were unpredictable at best and dangerous at worst, and if a Feral attacked someone, they were automatically killed.  **Kelly, stand down now** , Hank ordered and immediately, the younger wolf backed away from Pridgen and trotted over to Hank who then gave his shoulder a reassuring lick.  **You trust me?** he asked, repeating the gesturing.  **Always, Alpha** , he assured. Kelly then flopped onto his back, drawing his paws in, making himself as small as possible.  As one, the wolves all dropped their jaws.  They couldn’t believe what they were seeing: Kelly Severide was submitting to an Alpha. 

 


	12. Judgment

Pridgen’s eyes widened.  Submission!  That was submission!  When had he submitted to Voight?  _Damn it!  So much for my claims of him being Feral_ , he fumed.  But maybe he could still use it.  He just had to think.  He just had to figure it out.  Severide was probably just playing it up for the crowd that they had attracted.  He then glanced at Head Alpha Voight.  _Wonder what he’s thinking_ , he thought to himself.  _He trusts me that much?_ Hank mused.  He hadn’t been expecting that.  After all, he had only joined his pack recently and was still getting to know him.  And yet he had submitted without fear.  Jay and Antonio went over to Kelly, dropping down beside him as they shifted into their wolf forms.  **Ours** , they chorused as they nuzzled him.  **Mine** , he echoed, copying the gesture, letting out a snuffle when Jay and Antonio gently nipped at him before doing the same.  Pridgen’s eyes widened even more when he saw this.  They were engaging in pack behavior.  Severide had a pack now.  No one would believe that he was Feral after this display.  _Okay, I can still swing this.  I just need to think_ , he thought to himself.  Protocol.  Yeah, he could go with that.  Severide had snapped from him, everyone knew it.  However, protocol for joining another pack demanded that the wolf in question contact the former alpha to let them know what was going on so that they could tell the Elders.  And Kelly hadn’t done this. 

“Severide, you dare disgrace our pack by taking up with another pack without telling me so I could inform the Elders?” Pridgen demanded and Kelly froze.  _Damn.  He’s right.  I didn’t follow the proper steps_ , he thought to himself.

“Not required when the former Alpha mistreats said wolf,” a voice stated and everyone turned to see a small group of people.

“Elder Riddle,” Hank stated.  Immediately, Kelly started to go back into the submissive pose.

“Not necessary, Mr. Severide,” Susan told him and Kelly nodded as he, Jay, and Antonio shifted back into their human forms. 

“Elders I was merely trying to---” Patrick started to explain.

“That’s **enough**!” Rodney snapped, his voice reverbing as he put power behind it.  “We know **exactly** what you were doing, Patrick.  Thomas is already in custody,” he continued.

“I just now heard about the attack he led on Kelly Severide and if I had known---” Patrick interjected quickly.

“Save it!” Raymond interrupted.  “Rodney contacted us as soon as you gave the order,” he stated and then turned to Kelly.  “He hurt you, tried to kill you.  What do **you** think should be done to him?” he asked, his voice soft.

“You’re asking **me**?” Kelly asked in surprise.  _Why would they ask me?  I’m nobody_ , he thought to himself.  He was just a Rover.

“You’re the one affected.  These attacks were against you,” Raymond reminded him.

“I don’t want to bring anything down on Voight’s pack.  Alpha Pridgen’s right.  I didn’t---”  
       “You were abused.  We started an investigation on Pridgen as soon as you, Scott, Vince, and Allison all snapped from him at the same.  We know what he’s done.  You did everything right.”  Hearing this, Kelly nodded.  He wasn’t sure why the Elders were being so lenient but he wasn’t going to argue with it.

“You’re actually buying this crap?” Patrick asked, his voice full of disbelief.  _This is crazy.  They should all be on my side_ , he thought to himself.  So why weren’t they?  It didn’t make any sense.  Okay, so Kelly was displaying pack behavior, but that didn’t mean anything.  He could still pull this off.  He **had** to.  He just needed to think---get his thoughts together.

“You’re the one who’s been affected the most.  His fate is up to you,” Susan told him.

“I just want him out of my life and to stop his attacks on me.  Other than that, I don’t care,” he responded and they all nodded.  _Can’t blame him for feeling that way_ , Susan thought to herself. 

“As you desire,” she stated.  With this, the Elders approached Pridgen who tried to flee only to be intercepted by Voight.

“If it was up to me, you’d be torn limb from limb,” he said, a snarl creeping into his voice as he threw the wolf towards the Elders.  Once they had hold of him, they dragged him away.

“You can’t do this!  I’m an Alpha!  I can run my pack as I see fit!”

“Shut it!”  Pridgen’s eyes flashed at the power behind Riddle’s tone but fell silent.  _I can’t believe this_ , he thought to himself.  They had no right to do this.  They were obviously being influenced by that mutt, Severide.  Okay, he could get them to see reason once they were in the Elders’ building.  Yes, he could explain that he was leading the pack as expected.  Yeah, that would work.  They’d be able to understand that.  Once they were at the building, the Elders took him to a room, where to his surprise, Welch was.

“Tommy, what are you doing here?” he asked, his voice dangerous.  Had he ratted him out?  If so, he was going to remind him what happened when people disobeyed him.

“Alpha Pridgen, you have been charged with abuse of your power,” Raymond stated. 

“Elder Riddle, you can’t possibly believe---”

“We saw everything,” Susan interrupted.  “All your orders, the attack you lead on Kelly Severide...all of it,” she continued.

“What---what are you going to do to us?” Tommy stammered.  _Never been brought up before the Elders before.  Alpha Pridgen said it would never happen_ , he thought to himself.  And why would it?  Severide was nothing but a loner---a wolf who had the potential to go Feral.  So really, what they did was understandable.  But now…now they were facing the Elders.

“I led my pack as I saw fit.  Severide had snapped from us, developed the attitude of a Loner.  He was dangerous and had every markings of turning Feral.  I disobeyed no law,” Patrick defended himself.

“Nice try, Patrick.  However, Severide had kept his connections with House 51 and wasn’t a risk to the community.  You on the other hand, have proven how dangerous you are,” Raymond responded.

“Wait.  Something can be worked out.  You worked out something with Rodney and he’s one of us,” Tommy interjected.

“I was **never** one of you, Welch.  And that attack that Patrick ordered on Kelly Severide was relayed to Raymond and the others as soon as possible,” Rodney responded and Tommy glared.

“You betrayed your pack,” he snarled and then lunged at him.  Immediately, Rodney shifted effortlessly and met him, his jaws snapping at his throat.  Tommy let out a whimper and immediately went into a submissive pose.  “Forgive me, Elder,” he said and Patrick snarled.  What was he doing kowtowing to him?  He was **his** wolf, not theirs.

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” Patrick insisted.  _What is their problem?  We’re allowed to lead our packs as we see fit_ , he fumed.  “I just lead my pack as I see fit!  Whatever Severide said is bulls---” Patrick’s words died out as Rodney grabbed his throat and squeezed.

“Abuse of a pack is punishable by death,” he growled.

“Didn’t abuse them,” came the choked defense.

“So you’re denying it?” Susan demanded.

“Yes.”  The Elders looked at one another.  **Death?** Raymond asked.  **Death** , everyone else chorused. 

“Patrick Pridgen, for the crimes against your pack, you have been sentenced to death,” Raymond declared.

“And what about me?” Tommy asked in a small voice.

“You led an attack on Kelly Severide on Patrick’s command,” Susan reminded.

“Yes, Elder.  And I will accept whatever punishment you give me,” Tommy responded.  At this, Raymond looked to the rest of the Elders.  **Banishment** , they chorused.

“You are to leave Chicago and never return,” Raymond stated and Tommy nodded.

“As you wish,” he responded.  _Can’t believe I’m being banished_ , he thought to himself.  But then again, he was being let off easy and he wasn’t going to fight it.

“Go,” Susan ordered and the younger wolf took off, heading to his home where he gathered up his things, and loaded them into the car before heading out.  Patrick’s eyes darkened and he shifted, lunging at Raymond with a snarl, knocking him to the ground.  **You will die!** Patrick shouted.  He could kill them all and take over, creating a new council of Elders.  Instantly, the Elders all shifted and Rodney pounced on Patrick, his claws digging into the wolf’s back, resulting in a scream.  Patrick tried to fight against the other wolves, but soon found himself outnumbered.  There was a scream, a gurgle, and then---silence.


	13. Epilogue

MONTHS LATER

Kelly grinned as he listened to the others talk as they traipsed into the station.  They had just gotten back from a house fire and were still a little keyed up.

“Hate that they lost their house,” Mills stated.  _All that stuff.  All the memories_ , he thought to himself.  Sure they’d still have their memories, but he had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be easy for them.  

“Yeah, but at least we saved them all,” Herrmann pointed out.  _Not a total win, but at least it wasn’t a total loss either_ , he mused.  Though, like Mills---and everyone in the house---he would’ve preferred to save the house as well as the family.  However, he knew that wasn’t always possible and he had long ago learned to take his wins where he could get them.

“True,” Mills conceded.  Kelly grinned and shook his head as he went to his office, his smile growing when he caught the scent of someone familiar.

“Hey Babe,” he greeted as he opened the door.

“Hey you,” she responded.  “Brought you lunch,” she stated, holding up a brown bag.

“Awesome.  You didn’t have to do that,” he told her.

“I know, but I also know that Otis cooks today,” she stated.

“I heard that!” the man called and they laughed.

“Damn, no one’s safe in a house of wolves,” the lieutenant complained good-naturedly.

“So let’s make him regret listening in,” she suggested, a playful smirk on her lips.  For an answer, he went to her and pulled her close, kissing her soundly.  Erin moaned and deepened the kiss as she went to sit in Kelly’s chair, the world around them fading as they each got lost in one another.

 

 

THE END 


End file.
